Torn in Two: The End
by GreenField
Summary: Ten years after the epilogue, a lot of things are changing for Aurelia and Dorrien's ever-expanding family, Sonea and Osen, Dannyl and Tayend and even poor Rothen, who just wants a quiet retirement. Expect love triangles, secret affairs, babies, court hearings and a lot of family drama. Please R&R. Cover image by Massew DeviantArt .
1. Introducing

**A/N: Hello! So, this is to be the final installment of my Torn in Two trilogy. Lots of stuff is going to happen and I am very excited! It's all getting a bit complicated now, though – I had to work out a family tree just for this chapter! So I hope you all find this okay, and please review! Thank you. This chapter is just a catch up of where all the characters are now.**

"Are you sure you don't want another pillow?" Lorkin fussed, trying to wedge a sixth cushion behind his wife's back. Melody laughed, swatting him wearily away.

"No! Honestly, Lorkin, I'm fine" Melody, eight months pregnant and feeling extremely lethargic, had decided that all she really needed was peace and quiet.

Their marriage had started off with rather a dilemma when Lorkin and Melody discovered that it would be difficult for them to have children. Both wanted a large family and this thought had greatly upset them both. It took them a good few years before their first child was born – a boy, named Akkarin after Lorkin's father. Another couple of years passed before their second child, another son, this time named Korsten. The child Melody now carried would be their third and probably their last, and they were desperately hoping for a girl this time around.

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you if you're feeling ill again" the boys were hovering behind their father, waiting patiently for him to stop worrying. Lorkin had trained as a Warrior, and had organised basic Warrior skills classes for any children under student age who wished to participate. The classes were extremely popular among the children of the Guild, and Melody loved them because it was the only time of the week when she was completely alone.

"Go on, go!" Melody stretched up to kiss him gently, fondly, "The boys are dying for you to get a move on"

Lorkin turned, and saw Akkarin and Korsten looking at him hopefully. He grinned.

"I hope you're ready to be beaten, kids" he taunted childishly, "Race you to the arena?"

They didn't even say goodbye, they were so caught up in the race, but as the door slammed behind them Melody closed her eyes and smiled herself to sleep.

* * *

"Dorrien, I'm too young to be a grandmother! Look at my eyes, look! No wrinkles" Aurelia was scrutinising herself in the mirror, brows furrowed with anxiety.

"I know, darling. You're as fresh and lovely as a spring daisy" Dorrien had been at the receiving end of these anxieties since their first grandchild, Akkarin, had been born eight years ago, and he was getting used to not really paying attention to Aurelia's rants.

He paused, suddenly realising the small problem with Aurelia's worry, "Lia, you're already a grandmother three times over"

"I know! But four is just too much. Do you think I look old?"

"I told you, no, of course you don't! You look just as beautiful as you've always done"

The worry melted from Aurelia's face, to be replaced with a loving smile, "You really are the best husband in the world"

Dorrien shrugged, feigning modesty, "I know. You're lucky to have me"

Aurelia kissed his cheek, "I am indeed. I'm going to go and check up on Mellie, okay?"

"Sure. I'll come too" Dorrien linked her arm and walked with her, the two of them just as happy as they had always been.

* * *

Dannyl and Tayend surveyed the library that they had always frequented with a whole new sense of responsibility.

"Is it really ours now?" Tayend sounded doubtful, as if he didn't believe that the proceedings that had led them to take control of the library had actually taken place. Dannyl laughed, a grin spreading across his face.

"Yes! Yes, it is. I think we've been given a little too much power"

"I guess it's no different. I mean, we practically live here anyway" Tayend still looked a little dazed. When a wish had been expressed for two people to run the library they so loved, they had volunteered at once, and been accepted almost instantly.

"Yes, but..." Dannyl waved a key, listening to it jangle with a wicked glint in his eyes, "Now we get to go to the restricted books"

Tayend's face lit up, "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Dannyl paused, "It's a really good thing Melody's all grown up now. You couldn't have a child running around here"

"I quite agree. The grandkids are definitely not allowed" Tayend said firmly, then smiling, "Come on, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

Eden was leading a secret life that no-one in her family could have imagined.

She had graduated long ago, but the affair with her old Alchemy professor had begun much earlier than that.

Professor Larkin liked Eden from day one – pretty but without knowing it, unlike her ditzy twin sister, and extraordinarily clever. She'd been put in for early entry. Soon she was having extra classes with Larkin to gain a higher standard of expertise in the area than her classmates.

The affair had begun during one of these classes. The age gap between them, although definitely present, wasn't as huge as Eden had always thought, and both of them were beginning to think about acting on their feelings. Larkin wasn't married, so Eden decided she had nothing to feel guilty about. They had been sitting at his desk, heads close together as they looked at her Alchemy textbook. Eden remembered feeling Larkin's hands on her soft golden hair, and had turned to look at him, finding that their lips were so close they were almost touching. It was she who breached the space between them, she who kissed him first. That was when it had begun, and it showed no signs of stopping.

All Eden was waiting for now, after eight years together, was a proposal.

* * *

Arbella had been a complete and utter fool when she began her schooling.

She had expressed little care for any of her lessons, instead throwing herself into a life of student parties, mostly hosted by herself. She was beautiful and she knew it. She slept around while Eden threw herself into her schoolwork. She liked being wanted, and no matter how many times her parents cautioned her, yelled at her, tried to stop her, she continued to live the crazy lifestyle she had become accustomed to.

Then she fell pregnant.

This happened after she had graduated, but she was still young and had no idea who the father was. Dorrien hadn't spoken to her for weeks, and Aurelia's disappointment had been painful to be subject too.

They had only forgiven her once her daughter – dark haired, dark eyed and adorable – had been born. She named her Talluali, and she was as good a mother as she could be. She settled down and realised that she loved her daughter and didn't actually mind the thought of spending every day with this child for the rest of her life.

* * *

Liliana was still sweet and shy, though she had grown a little prettier over the years. She was average in everything she did, she felt - averagely pretty, averagely clever, only vaguely noticeable.

She had liked the same man for years, since they first met in her Warrior skills class. His name was Dorian, and he was the only person who seemed to consider her worth talking to. She hadn't ever plucked up the courage to tell him she liked him, but she planned on doing so very, very soon.

* * *

Arius and Rothen, despite the age gap, were as close as brothers could be. This had led to a little bit of a problem in that they were both completely besotted with Sonea and Osen's daughter, Yena, and she was caught between the pair of them.

Arius tried to charm Yena with his good looks and the fact that he was slightly older than Rothen, which he felt made him look appealingly rebellious beside his younger brother.

Rothen tried to charm Yena with his kindness and his looks, which he felt made him a much more reliable bet than his older brother.

And poor Yena? Well, she couldn't quite choose between them, and instead left them both dangling on a string.

* * *

"Happy anniversary" Sonea pressed a light kiss to her husband's lips and smiled, "I made dinner for us"

Osen looked sceptical, "You did? Hm"

She laughed, "I've gotten a lot better at cooking lately! Honestly. Just try it, will you?"

Sonea's cooking had become a joke between the two of them over the years – in fact, they had a lot of jokes between them. Sonea had never, not for one second, regretted marrying Osen. Neither had she regretted having Yena, although she initially hadn't wanted another child. Osen and Yena were her second chance at happiness, and she just felt grateful that she had been given a second chance in the first place. Of course, she still thought of Akkarin every day, and tried to tell herself that that was natural when she wasn't sure it was.

Osen didn't know she still thought of him, and she wasn't about to share it.

* * *

Rothen was getting old. And tired. But he was happy.

He was a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather. He was the advisor to every member of his family – he was generally besieged with visitors looking for comfort and a hot cup of Raka. And Rothen liked living that way. Maybe he missed the companionship of his wife, even after all this time; but everytime he felt that way Dorrien would turn up to moan about Aurelia's latest tantrum, or Arbella would turn up and ask him to look after Talluali, or Dannyl and Tayend would visit and ask to stay with him. He was never alone and, unlike his granddaughter, he rather liked it that way.


	2. Party

**A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for reviewing, Azlira, and I hope the rest of you will review really soon! Thanks for reading and the support. Hope you enjoy it! By the way, there's so many characters and plotlines that some characters may be more focused on in some chapters than in others, but I promise, everyone will be involved!**

Arius had had an excellent idea.

They didn't come often, and when they did, he was extremely keen on following them through. He was seated with Rothen and Yena outside, sun beaming down on them, and he was inwardly praying that Rothen would leave soon, so he could tell Yena of his excellent idea.

He and Rothen were always vying to be the one to impress Yena the most. They had both adored Yena for years now, the baby of the group, and they knew that one day she would choose one of them. They just didn't know which.

"Oh, Roth, I forgot – Dad wanted you to help him with dinner as Mum's still working at the hospital. Seeing as you've become such an accomplished cook and all" Arius teased. It wasn't a complete lie; Dorrien had said that he wanted to cook dinner with his youngest son one day, but not that day in particular. So he'd just...embellished it a little.

Rothen looked irked by the idea, but he didn't have any reason to not believe Arius, so he rose from the grass they were sitting on.

"You'll have to cook for me soon then, Rothen, if you're all that good" Yena smiled, and as usual her smile took their breath away. Rothen, extremely reluctant to leave, departed, and Arius shuffled closer to Yena.

He had had experience with girls his own age – rather a lot of it, if he was honest – but he had always preferred Yena to any of them. Always.

Yena wasn't the conventional view of beautiful. She was definitely pretty, though, with dark hair, much longer than her mother's, and Osen's greeny-brown eyes. Her lips were pale pink, her skin chalky white, and she was small and slender as a willow reed. Arius had always thought she looked fragile, but anyone who spoke to her for just a few seconds could see that she had inherited every last ounce of her mother's feistiness and confidence.

"Hey, Yena, I've had an idea"

"Oh no" she rolled her eyes, laid back languidly on the grass, "Are you feeling alright?"

Arius nudged her with his elbow, "Stop it. No, I mean it. You're always moaning about how being the youngest stops you from doing the stuff we do – well, you and Rothen, anyway. So I thought, what if I invited you to a party?"

"A party?" Yena sat up, "Whose party?"

"Lollia. You know her, I think?"

"Is that the pretty blonde one?" Yena's eyes were narrowed, and she looked suspicious, "Why would she want me at her party?"

"Because I'm inviting you. And yes, that is her. But it'll be fun, if you come. Do you want to?"

"Will I have to talk to Lollia?"

Arius hid a smile, "Not if you don't want to"

"Good. She's almost as vile as her mother. Do you know, Lepida split Lorkin and Mellie up once?"

"No, I didn't know that" Arius now understood a little better why Yena hated Lollia, but a small part of him still thought that it might be due to jealousy.

Yena was sitting quietely, as if thinking, and when she looked at him again she was smiling, "I'd love to! Thanks, Arius"

"Thanks for coming with me" he said in return, and Yena turned away to hide her slowly spreading grin.

* * *

Contrary to what she told Arius, Yena had never had a drop of wine in her life – let alone the strong stuff they brewed in the slums. But she was determined to be a part of the crowd, maybe make some friends, to give her some sort of credit with the other girls of her age living at the Guild. If that meant lying, she saw no problem with that.

"Of course I've had it before!" she laughed when Arius eyed her doubtfully, "Mum may drink wine, but Dad keeps some of this stuff locked away for if they're having a bad day. Did you know you can use it for medicine, too?"

Arius chuckled, "And that's what comes of going to a party with the daughter of a Healer"

Yena glared at him, "Your parents are both Healers"

"That's different. I don't listen when they're discussing their work" Arius was still holding the glass, hesitant about giving it to her, "You're sure you want some, Yena?"

She snatched the glass from him and downed it in one as her answer. Arius, wide eyed, couldn't quite believe what he had just seen. She grinned, handing the glass back to him.

"Well? Get me another"

* * *

It took a couple of hours for Arius to realise that Yena had been lying. After that amount of time had passed, she was clearly...well, she was completely off her head.

"I have _to_ drunk it before!" she cried childishly, pouting and swiping to grab the glass from him. He planted it on a table behind him, blocking her from reaching it.

"Yena, enough is enough. You shouldn't have lied to me; Osen is going to kill me!"

"Oh" Yena waved a hand airily, and staggered a little, "He'll be just _fine_!"

"At least try and stand up straight for a minute, will you, Yena?" Arius sighed, exasperated. He grabbed her upper arms, fingers digging in in an effort to hold her still.

"I can stand up!" she protested, "I'm fine, Ariussss" she hissed his name, giggling. He dug his fingers in a little harder.

"Stop. Now"

"You can't order me around! You're not my father"

"No, I'm your friend. We need to sober you up before you go back to your rooms" Arius, still holding onto her with one hand, searched around for somewhere that he could make her a nice hot cup of raka. He found a place and, plonking her down on a chair, made the drink hot and strong. She was tracing patterns on the table, still giggling.

"Drink" he ordered, thrusting the mug at her. She shook her head stubbornly, pressing her lips together to stop him pouring it into her mouth himself. He groaned, frustrated.

"Please, Yena"

"Let's go dance. I want to dance" she stood up, and almost tripped over the table leg. Arius steered her quickly back to the chair.

"I can come and stay with you so that Daddy doesn't see me" she offered, round-eyed and slurring.

"I don't think so" Arius replied firmly, though a large part of him liked the idea. Yena looked at him across the table, grinning.

"I think I should. I know you want me to. I've always known that you like me like that" she grinned wider, and before he could move to stop her she'd dragged herself up from the seat and over to him, sliding onto his lap, "What would you do, Ariusss, if I took my robes off _right now_?"

Arius gulped, and shifted her off of his lap, scooping her up to throw her over his shoulder instead, "You're drunk, Yena, you don't know what you're saying. I'm taking you back to your rooms"

She was shrieking, hammering at his back with her fists, and people stared as they walked out. He knew he'd have a lot of explaining to do in class the next day.

"Put me down! Put me DOWN! I mean it, Arius! I know you want to"

"Stop talking. You'll regret those words tomorrow, I promise you"

He marched her along, ignoring her protests, though they did get a few wary and concerned stares as he made his way down the corridor with her pounding at his back.

Someone must have rushed ahead of them and told Sonea of the strange sight, and Arius had a horrible feeling that it might have been Rothen, whom he had seen and had stared at the two of them, frozen, ignoring Yena's loud yells for him to help. Sonea was standing in the doorway, shadowed by her fuming husband, arms folded across her chest.

"Arius. What on earth have you done to my daughter?"

Arius slid Yena down, flustered, and she staggered into Sonea.

"Hey, Mum!" she cried cheerfully, and Arius briefly closed his eyes to pretend it wasn't happening, "I had a great time! Arius took me to a party!"

"Oh, did he?" Sonea's eyes narrowed, "Have you been drinking slum liquor, Yena?"

Yena nodded, "Yes! S'good stuff, Mum"

Osen reached past Sonea and grabbed his daughter's arm, drawing her quickly inside with a glare at Arius.

"You are banned from seeing my daughter" he snapped, "For good"

"Wait, what?" Arius yelped, "I was only trying to let her have fun, I just – "

The door was slammed in his face, and he was left alone in the corridor.

Rothen appeared suddenly, patted him on the shoulder with a smile on his face.

"Bad luck, Arius. Looks like it's my turn now"


	3. Birth

**A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews, most of you seemed to have found this by now which is just awesome, so I'm happy! Hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks for reading.**

**In regard to Rilawa's review, although you have correctly calculated that Yena is 13, I have to admit that in my head she's actually a couple of years older than that, which explains why she seems so adult. So I'm really sorry about that, it's my fault for getting it muddled in my head, but if you could just picture her a couple of years older that would be great! Thanks . Also, she's not actually sleeping around with anyone...yet. So I guess you could sense some later plotlines in there. Thanks for reviewing!**

Lorkin had been expecting Melody to give birth at an awkward moment, as she had always done before.

With Akkarin, they'd been sitting by the river and she'd refused to move when the pains began. She also refused to let him go for help, which led to him delivering the baby on a riverbank, when neither of them had any knowledge of what should be done, and almost dropping the child in the river in his excitement.

With Korsten, they'd been attending a party in the Night Room. Melody's problem – or blessing, whichever way it could be viewed – was that she gave birth quickly and unexpectedly. One minute, she was sipping from a glass of water and laughing with her hand on Lorkin's arm; next minute she was doubled over in agony howling at him to _fetch her mother __**now**_. There hadn't been time to take her back to their rooms, so some women had hurriedly bundled them into an adjoining study where she'd given birth on the desk. They had had to pay for a new desk for the poor Administrator, but they didn't much care because, despite the circumstances, their son was healthy and handsome.

This was the sort of scenario that Lorkin had come to expect, and had been dreading for the last month of the pregnancy. It was unlike Melody not to give birth early, but she had made it into the ninth month now and there didn't seem to be any sign of her stopping.

She woke him just after he had fallen asleep one night, her huge belly pressed against his side as she had lain curled against him. Her eyes were big and dark, teeth digging into her lip.

"It's coming" she hissed into the darkness. Lorkin sat bolt upright at once, springing into action.

"Right. Okay. Um. What do you want me to do?"

Melody, now rolled onto her back, glared at him, "Get. My. Mother. But don't leave me"

Lorkin dashed towards the bedroom of his two sons, banging on the door until the two of them emerged, sleepy and tousled and clearly dazed.

"What is it, Daddy?" Korsten's voice was plaintive, slow. Lorkin kissed the younger boy's forehead. Melody moaned.

"Korsten, I need you to go and get Nanny Aurelia, alright? Tell her that Mummy is having the baby. Then go to Grandad Rothen and tell him what's happened and that you need to stay with him, okay?"

"Okay" Korsten dragged his feet as he made his way to the door.

"KORSTEN!" Melody bellowed, "If you don't hurry, so help me I'll – "

Korsten sprinted out of the door. Lorkin turned to look at his wife.

"Did you have to...?"

"He'll understand. JUST GET OVER HERE!"

Lorkin turned back to Akkarin, looking despairing, but Akkarin just nodded, "I know what to do"

Lorkin visibly sagged with relief, "Thank God for you, Akkarin. Hurry"

When Lorkin made his way back to the bed, Melody's face was pink and sweating.

"It's coming _right now_" she told him, clearly horrified that their mothers would miss yet another childbirth, "It's coming, Lorkin"

Lorkin took a deep breath and moved to take a look at his wife. She had screamed at him when Akkarin was being born, telling him that under no circumstances was he to watch her giving birth, but once he'd pointed out that they didn't have much choice, she'd relented. He'd delivered both their sons and he wasn't going to hesitate in delivering this one.

Melody didn't even have the will to yell at him anymore. She was straining, clenching her teeth.

"I can see the head!" he told her, feeling the old familiar rush of excitement. A fleeting smile crossed her face.

"Careful, Mellie, go slowly now...Mellie...Mellie!"

A loud wail filled the room just as Aurelia burst in, looking frazzled, Sonea not far behind her. Neither Lorkin or Melody had eyes for their mothers; Lorkin had sorted the cord and was cradling their baby in his arms. Melody held out her arms impatiently.

"What is it?" she asked urgently, eyes shining. Lorkin looked up, grinned.

"A girl" he said at last, "Mellie, we've got a girl"

Melody cried out in delight and Lorkin moved to her at once, perching on the bed beside her and handing their first daughter into her arms. Aurelia and Sonea shrieked and hugged each other.

"I'll get the others" Sonea murmured, not wanting to disturb the happy parents. Aurelia, however, had no such scruples. She advanced slowly towards the bed, listening to Lorkin and Melody's whispered chatter.

"Look at her" Lorkin breathed, "Look at her, Mellie, she's beautiful. We did that"

Mellie giggled, low in her throat, "You're amazed by that same thing every time. Just shows that we must be quite pretty people, doesn't it, to have such a pretty daughter?"

Lorkin laughed too, kissed her forehead, "I'm so proud of you"

"You say that everytime, too" but her voice was soft, and her eyes on his face were adoring. He kissed her gently, as though she were fragile as glass. Aurelia took this as her cue to advance to the bed and smile down at her daughter and granddaughter.

"What are you going to call her?" she asked, looking eagerly at the adoring couple. Melody and Lorkin shared a smiling glance.

"Marcella" Melody replied, cooing the name as she looked upon her child, "Her name is Marcella"

Marcella looked back at her parents and grandparents with dark eyes. Her hair was a soft chestnut gold, curly, her cheeks rosy.

The door crashed open again, interrupting the peaceful moment as their giant and extremely sleepy family came barging into the room, all calling congratulations, asking questions, clamouring to see the baby.

And all quiet sentiments of joy were lost in celebration.


	4. Secrets

**A/N: Hi! Sorry there's been a bit of a gap here! Thanks so much for the reviews, they made me really happy. Hope you enjoy the chapter and please continue to review!**

"Yena? What are you doing here? You're banned from hanging around with the likes of me, remember?" Arius ran a rueful hand over his hair, trying not to look too delighted at the sight of Yena, bright-eyed and beaming, on his doorstep.

"Everyone else is with Mellie and the baby. Aunt Aurelia wants you there and sent me to fetch you"

"Did she? But she knows about the ban"

"She did wink as she said it" Yena grinned. Arius laughed.

"She really is the best mother. Ok, I'm coming. Have you been having fun with Rothen?" this time he winked, teasing her, though he did genuinely want to know.

"Not...no. He's been acting really weirdly lately" she frowned up at him, "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"No. I'm just glad I'm not the only one who's noticed. I can't work it out"

"Maybe he found out what I said to you at the party" she said it more to herself than to him, but her cheeks reddened slightly. Arius' did too. He hadn't wanted to bring it up.

"Don't worry about that, Yena. You were drunk. It didn't mean anything. We'll forget about it, okay?"

"Okay" she nodded, shot him a fleeting smile, "We can keep meeting up, you know. You are my best friend, even if you are a complete idiot"

"Same to you, kid" Arius taunted, ruffling her hair, "Same to you"

* * *

"Hey, Lorkin" Dannyl hugged his son-in-law as soon as he entered their rooms, "Congratulations. I knew you both really wanted a girl this time"

Lorkin grinned, something he'd been doing pretty much permanently for the last three days, "Thanks, Dannyl. She's beautiful"

"I said the same thing when Aurelia had Melody. She'll grow up beautiful, too" Dannyl smiled, moving away to see his daughter. He'd had to leave Tayend behind, what with all their new responsibilities, even though Tayend had been extremely upset to see him go and desperate to meet Marcella.

"Daddy!" Melody cried. Aurelia was holding the baby, leaving Melody free to rush to her father as though she were still five years old. She hugged him tightly, and Dannyl squeezed her in return.

"You look well" he said happily, "Congratulations"

"Thanks, Daddy. Akkarin! Korsten! Grandad Dannyl's here!"

Akkarin and Korsten appeared with bright, beaming faces, and Dannyl couldn't help but feel the slight prickle of tears in his eyes as he looked at his grandsons. He didn't see them often, and whenever he did they always looked so different from the last time that he felt he'd lost something. He had had that feeling a lot when Melody was growing up.

"Have you come to see Marcella?" asked Korsten eagerly, "Everyone's come to see her. She's so pretty"

"Is she?" Dannyl smiled, ruffling Korsten's hair, "Well you were a very pretty baby too, once" he looked to Akkarin, always the quieter of the two, "You okay?"

Akkarin nodded, but didn't say anything. Dannyl hugged him extra tight, thinking that maybe he was jealous of all the fuss little Marcella was getting.

He was ambushed by Aurelia as soon as he had let go of Akkarin and Korsten; beaming, she kissed his cheek and passed Marcella into his arms.

"Doesn't she look like Mellie?" she cooed, "Dorrien says she looks more like me than Mellie did though"

"He's right" Dannyl agreed, staring down into the baby's pink, plump face with the big dark eyes, "But any fool could see she's Mellie's daughter"

He held Marcella for a long time before speaking to Aurelia again, "Where is your beloved husband?"

"He'll be here in a minute" Dannyl looked at her and saw that her face was alight with anticipation just thinking about it. He hoped Melody and Lorkin would still be that happy when they had been married for as long as Aurelia and Dorrien had.

"She really is lovely" he said after a few more moments of them admiring their grandchild, "Prettier than your Arbella's girl"

"Hey! Don't you start on my Talluali. She's a beautiful little girl"

"I know, I'm just teasing" a moment's pause, "Marcella will be prettier"

A tiny smile crept onto Aurelia's face where she had previously looked so stern, "Oh, I know. Just don't tell Arbella"

* * *

Rothen had indeed been acting very strangely for the last few weeks.

This had begun about the time he realised that he no longer felt about Yena as he once had. When Arius had been banned from seeing her he should have been happy; but he couldn't quite find the motivation in himself to get her to prefer him. Which was odd, because that motivation had never left him before. And now, looking over at her and Arius, talking and laughing despite Osen's glares in their direction, he didn't feel a thing.

The other thing that had happened around the time he stopped loving Yena was what was currently on his mind.

Rothen had realised that he had rather stronger feelings for someone else. Which would not normally be a problem.

Aside from the fact that that someone was male.

His name was Nyx, he was a year older than Rothen and he attended the basic Warrior training classes that Lorkin ran and Rothen also attended. He was handsome too – dark haired like Rothen himself but with bright green eyes instead of brown. Rothen had grown to rather love those eyes. He and Nyx had been friends for a while – only casually, but they spoke often enough for Rothen to form an attachment to him, even though he knew that being a lad was against the law, and he would be cast out of the Guild for entertaining such thoughts.

And his parents would be so, so disappointed.

It was Rothen that he chose to go to. Rothen had seen Dannyl through a similar situation, and he loved Dannyl like a son. If there was anyone in the world who would understand, it would be Rothen. Or Dannyl. But he couldn't quite bear the thought of going to Dannyl. Not just yet.

"Rothen" Rothen smiled at his grandson and guided him into the room, "What a surprise! Are you coming to stay the night?"

"No, I just...I think I have a bit of a problem, Grandad"

Rothen was used to such things happening. All his children, novices, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren came to him for advice, and he had no problem with that. He loved helping them all, especially young Rothen, his namesake and youngest grandchild.

"Come and sit down so we can talk about it. I'll get you a cup of raka"

While Rothen senior busied himself with making their drinks, Rothen junior settled into a comfortable armchair and tried to quieten the thoughts rushing through his head. He took a grateful sip of the hot drink, but could not look up to meet his grandfather's gentle and understanding eyes.

"What's the matter, Rothen? You don't usually come to me with troubles"

"That's because I don't usually have any" Rothen junior replied with a rueful laugh, "But this...this is a pretty big problem"

"We can work something out. No problem remains unsolved"

"I think I might be a lad"

There was a long, heavy silence. Rothen had blurted it out without thinking, and now he regretted it. Maybe his Grandad wasn't going to be so understanding after all.

"What makes you think that?" Rothen senior's voice was slightly strained, but still caring and gentle, and Rothen junior knew he had done the right thing.

"I'm in love with a boy called Nyx" Rothen groaned, burying his face his hands, "What am I going to do?"


	5. Confessing

**A/N: Hi, sorry it's taken a little while for me to update, this summer has been busier than I expected! Thank you so much for the reviews, glad everyone seems to be enjoying the story! Please review and thank you for reading.**

Rothen senior looked at his grandson for a long few moments, not quite knowing what to say.

"I'm going to get Dannyl" he said at last, "You need to talk to him"

Rothen looked up at once, "No! No, I don't want to, I can't! Not yet. Please don't make me, Grandad, I'm so confused, I just can't – "

"Okay, okay" Rothen reached out and squeezed the hand of his grandson, his eyes gentle and understanding, "I won't make you do anything you don't want to do. But I do think you should talk to him at some point soon. He understands better than anyone how you feel right now"

"I know" Rothen groaned, "But you know how close him and Mum are, he might tell her. And he might tell Mellie, and soon everyone will know and they'll all treat me differently and I'll get kicked out, and – "

"Stop. Stop. None of that is going to happen. Dannyl's still keeping it a secret now, though not from us. He knows how important secrecy is in your...situation. We all do. None of us would ever tell anyone unless you wanted us too, least of all Dannyl"

"I'm scared" Rothen mumbled at last, in tears, "If I lived somewhere else I'd be killed for the thoughts I'm having. That's why I'm so scared"

"I know. You can talk to other people when you're ready, and not a moment before. I promise I'll keep quiet for as long as you need me to. But you need to do something soon"

Rothen nodded, face solemn, and hugged his grandfather tightly, "Thank you. Thank you"

"You can always come to me. You know that. Though I think your mother would have been extremely supportive"

"Oh, she would have. But she's caught up in Marcella now, and I didn't want to ruin it for her. And Dad...somehow I don't think he would have been so understanding"

"Just because he still has a grudge against Dannyl, doesn't mean he'd treat you the same way. He hates Dannyl because Dannyl slept with your mother, not because he's a lad"

"I know, but still..."

"I understand. You don't have to say anything"

* * *

Liliana could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. She knew she was being stupid. She'd graduated last year, she was no longer a novice. She was a fully qualified magician and talking to men should not scare her. God knows she had enough of them in her family. But it did scare her.

She'd come to the Arena to find Dorian, a boy who had sat next to her through all their classes in the three years of schooling they had shared. She always thought that him sitting next to her had meant that he maybe liked her a little bit, but he'd never given any inclination of it. Well, she had admired him from afar for too long. Now was time to do something about it.

She reached up to check her hair, as mousey as ever, and longed for the golden hair of her sisters or the dark hair of Melody and Yena. Anything other than the limp, grey-blonde-brown mess that clung to the top of her head.

"Hey, Liliana!"

Liliana took it as a good sign that he even remembered her name; most people didn't, and she hadn't spoken to him properly for months. She smiled at him.

"Hi, Dorian" she winced as he threw his opponent down into the sand, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Dorian dusted his hands off, still smiling his cheeky smile, "Yeah, sure" he looked down at his opponent, "Back in a minute"

The man, wincing, nodded in obvious relief. Dorian laughed and looked to Liliana.

"What was it you wanted?" he asked cheerfully. Liliana could feel her face colouring and wished she could channel some of Arbella's confidence or her mother's flirtatious charm. She could not.

"I – I just haven't seen you for a long time" she said at last, somewhat pathetically.

"I know!" Dorian agreed, sounding surprised, "It would be nice if we could be friends as we were before"

"That would be nice" her heart lifted a little, "I actually wondered if you – if you would care to – " she gulped, "If you would care to take dinner with me?"

"Dinner?" Dorian looked puzzled, "You cook?"

"My brother Rothen does. He's excellent" an awkward pause, "I thought maybe a picnic – at night, of course, because picnics are so much nicer at night – don't you think so?"

"Ah" Dorian's smile fell slightly, "Liliana, are you asking me on a date?"

Liliana's blush grew darker, "Y-yes. I suppose I am"

Dorian sighed heavily and laid a hand on her arm, "I'm sorry, Liliana. I don't mind being friends but I can't go on a date with you"

"Why not?" Liliana wished she could take the question back as soon as she had asked it, if only because of the sympathy in Dorian's eyes.

"I'm in love with someone else" he said eventually, "She doesn't know, but I...I can't look at anyone else. I'm sorry. You're really nice, Liliana, and if I could choose anyone else – "

"Don't say things you don't mean" she cut him off sharply, but Dorian didn't look hurt. He looked like he was pitying her, and with that expression something flared up inside Liliana that had never been there before.

Determination.

She was going to make him love her. But first of all she was going to find out who this girl was. And to do both of those things, she needed to be Dorian's friend.

"It's okay" she said as these thoughts tumbled through her mind; she smiled at him, "We can just be friends. I don't mind at all. And I haven't had a good bout in the Arena for ages"

Dorian looked puzzled, probably because he remembered that she had always been a disaster in their Warrior Skills classes. But she continued to smile placidly and this seemed to win him over; he nodded, smiling with her.

"Yeah, okay. But I warn you, you're in for a fair fight"


	6. News

**A/N: Hi, sorry it's taken me so long! I don't usually leave gaps this big between chapters, do I? Thank you so much for the reviews and for being patient enough to wait for the next chapter! Please review.**

"Dorrien! Dorrien!" Aurelia flew into the rooms she shared with her husband and youngest son as though she were a young girl of nineteen again and not a mature woman in her middle thirties, "DORRIEN!"

"What?!" Dorrien poked his head out of the room they had turned into his study after the children had left, "Is something wrong?"

"Have you heard?" her eyes were shining, though not with mirth. Dorrien frowned and moved towards her.

"I don't think so, judging by your reaction. What is it?"

"It's High Lord Balkan. He's dead"

"Balkan? Dead?! You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! I just saw Osen, he told me. They're going to send a mind message out anytime n-"

_Magicians of Kyralia. High Lord Balkan of the Magician's Guild of Imardin has gone peacefully to rest. Let this become a day of mourning to remember a brave and generous leader._

Aurelia and Dorrien looked at each other.

"I suppose we all knew it was coming" said Dorrien at last, sitting down heavily on a chair, "He has been around for as long as I can remember, and he always seemed ancient even then"

Aurelia nodded, "Yes, I know. I liked him" she hesitated, "Did you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"It was Osen's mind voice that gave the message. That's pretty significant, don't you think?"

Dorrien's eyes snapped to her face, a look of wonder in them, "I didn't notice. You don't think that Osen's going to be put up as a candidate for High Lord, do you?"

Aurelia shrugged, moving towards the table to brew them some much-needed Raka, "I don't know. It does seem kind of odd. And he is in the most senior position other than High Lord. In fact, right at this moment, he's the highest up in the entire Guild" she turned back to her husband with wide eyes, "He's got a damn good chance"

"Yeah, he has. But what about Sonea? They can't make her go back in that house, not after..."

"Akkarin" Aurelia finished for him, face suddenly pinched with worry, "Oh, poor Sonea. D'you think they will?"

"He's her husband, she has to go with him. Yena, too. It'll put a strain on them"

"Of course it will. But wasn't most of the original building destroyed?"

"Not as much as you'd imagine. It doesn't look half bad. It'll be so hard for her"

"Then we have to hope that he isn't put forward, for Sonea's sake" said Aurelia at last, "We don't want her reliving that pain all over again"

_Aurelia!_

They both jumped, but it was Aurelia who answered the father of her first born.

_Dannyl! Have you heard?_

_Of course I have. I can't believe it. Do we know how he died?_

_Old age, I expect. It's not as if he was a young Warrior._

_I guess not. Poor Balkan. A pause. You sound distracted. Oh! Are you and Dorrien...?_

_No! No! God, why do you always think that? No, we were just talking about Balkan. And about..who we think will be next._

_It's got to be Osen. He's got everything a High Lord needs. Plus he was Lorlen's pupil once, and Lorlen was groomed to take Akkarin's place. It seems to fit. Administrator can be a pretty powerful position._

_So you think that too! I knew it wouldn't be just us. But what about Sonea?_

_Oh yeah! I mean, they gave her and Lorkin all Akkarin's personal affects, but it'll still be the same house, the same rooms, where she fell in love with him and he with her. It'll be the memories that get to her._

_Do you think Osen will notice?_

_I expect so. How long have they been together now, he must be able to read her as well as I can read Tayend?_

_And as well as I can read Dorrien! I suppose he must. I hope he doesn't make her move in there. I mean, do they _have_ to stay in that house?_

_I think so. At least, no-one's ever refused to before. It's a nice house._

_That's besides the point! Look, I'd better go, we were right in the middle of discussing all this before you interrupted. As you do._

_Oh well I'm sorry. I could have interrupted you at a more _crucial_ moment...again! _She could hear the mischief in his voice.

_I wish you'd just forget that! I'll speak with you later. Bye, Dannyl._

_Bye, _Lia.

_Stop it!_ She shrieked in her mind, but his presence was gone. She turned back to her husband.

"Dannyl thinks it too. What are we going to do about Sonea?"

* * *

"Osen's been made High Lord" Lorkin told Melody three days later, looking at the note in his hand, "Yena just sent me this"

Melody looked up from where she was kneeling on the floor, blowing raspberries on Marcella's fat little belly while the boys fought each other in the corner.

"Boys! BOYS! Be quiet a minute, Daddy's talking to me" Akkarin and Korsten continued, and Melody turned to look at her husband with a roll of her eyes, "Boys will be boys. Oh, Lorkin. Poor Sonea!"

"I need to go to her" Lorkin leaned towards her and kissed her cheek, a smile on his lips, "I'll have to see if she's alright, and then I'll come right back to you"

"Stay as long as you need. As long as you're in my bed tonight - " she winked, " - I don't mind what else you have to do"

"Great. Thanks, Mellie. And I wouldn't miss it for the world" he kissed her again, but she stopped him as he went to leave.

"Will she be happy at all, do you think?"

"I think she'll be happy for Osen, and proud of him, and she'll pretend around him that she couldn't be more delighted, but inside she'll be thinking about what will happen to her when she's in that house again, and what it will feel like, and how much it will hurt" there was pain for his mother in Lorkin's voice, something Melody admired in him – he was unashamed about the fact that he would give his life for his mother if it came to it.

"Poor Sonea" Melody repeated quietely as he left, then turned back to Marcella with a beaming smile, "Hello darling! What are your silly brothers doing, eh? Silly boys" she looked up, "Boys, I know you're bored, and I love you both very much, but you're doing my head in"

"Sorry, Mum" Akkarin said it at once, but Korsten had always been harder to wrangle an apology out of. He grinned mischievously at his mother, a tooth missing.

"But it's fun, Mummy!" he cried cheerfully, "Please let us carry on, Mummy._ Please_"

His little face was so endearing, and even Akkarin looked pleading, that Melody sighed heavily and nodded.

"Fine. But I'm going to sit in my bedroom so I can't hear you. And if you hurt each other don't come crying to me"


	7. Confrontation

**A/N: HI! Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter – Azlira, my brother is exactly like that too! Stupid boys. Please review this chapter and I hope you enjoy it.**

Osen looked over at his wife, "I know it's going to be difficult for you, moving back in here. You can say it, I don't mind"

Sonea forced a smile onto her face, "Don't be silly! I'll be fine"

"Sonea" Osen's voice was stern; he reached out to take her hands, "I can turn it down. I can say that we need to stay in the Guild, because it would upset Yena to move, or something like that. I could do that for you. I'd understand"

Sonea shook her head stubbornly, "Osen, it's fine. Anyway, if you said we couldn't live here, everyone would know instantly why that was. They'd blame me. I'd look like a horrible wife"

Osen couldn't resist a laugh, "You've suffered much worse speculation, I'm sure! And I know you're not a horrible wife. That's what matters"

Sonea grinned too, "Yes, I have. But I still don't like the idea. Really, I'll be just fine. It'll be nice for Yena to live here, it's so much more spacious than what she's used to, and it does belong to you now that you're High Lord. We have to take it"

Osen eyed her warily, "I'm not sure you mean that, Sonea"

"I do. I seem to have a thing for High Lords, don't I, and that means I have to leave in this house!" she was trying to turn it into a joke, but it wasn't quite working. Osen let go of her hands and regarded her with some level of suspicion.

"Unless you want to move back in there"

Sonea looked confused, "Well, yes, that's what I'm saying. I thought that's what you want?"

"No, I mean unless there's some reason I don't know about that would make you want to move back there. Something to do with...Akkarin" he rarely mentioned Akkarin, and seemed to have trouble saying his name whenever he did.

Sonea stared at him, "I'm sorry, like what? They're just rooms now, Osen, I took all Akkarin's personal stuff after he'd died, and divided it between me and Lorkin. They're empty rooms"

"We're going to be sleeping in his bed, Sonea. You're not telling me that that doesn't mean something to you"

"Of course it doesn't! It's Balkan's bed now – well, now it's yours, actually. It's not the same" her temper was rapidly rising, "I married you, remember! We have a daughter! It's not like I've not moved on, you know that better than anyone!"

"You've never really moved on, not deep down. I always knew that, I accepted it when I married you. Admit it, Sonea, there's still a piece of him in your heart"

Sonea gaped, "Well of course there is! I'm not denying that. I'm not saying that there isn't a tiny part of me that's still his, because there always will be. But I've moved on with my life"

"You shouldn't still be in love with him!" Osen yelled at last. He never yelled. In fact, they never argued. Ever.

Sonea flinched, recoiling as though he'd hit her, "_He's my first love_! The father of my son. He died for me. You don't forget that, you don't erase that. You just don't"

Osen glared at her, "Well, maybe you should try!"

He turned away from her, marching towards their new home, while Sonea stood and stared at the building with a mixture of rage, terror and infinite sadness.

* * *

Melody walked down to the Arena with Marcella on her hip. She wanted to watch Lorkin's training class, which he'd left for with the boys about ten minutes before. Akkarin had begged her to come.

"I'm getting really good now, Mum! I'm almost as good as Dad!"

So Melody had promised to come and watch, and she and Marcella were on their way there now. She was so proud of Lorkin for setting up the classes; they'd been his idea, and not only did it mean that the younger members of the Guild were able to defend themselves, it also used up their wasted energy, and meant that they already knew basic Warrior Skills before they became Novices. She wished Lorkin's father could see him, and how well he had done in life.

She stopped dead as she entered the Arena and saw a very familiar figure, someone she had avoided with consistency since her novice days. Lady Lepida, as sneaky and beautiful as ever, was talking to Lorkin, a hand on his arm and a charming, glittering smile on her face. Her youngest daughter was standing just behind her, looking at all the boys with wide eyes.

Melody scanned the boys until she found her younger brother, Rothen, who was talking to a handsome boy with dark hair. She waved him over and he left the other boy with a grudging smile for his older sister.

"Hi, Mellie. Hey, Marcella!" he seemed much more excited to see his niece, tickling her belly and pulling faces to make her smile, "What's up?"

"How long has Lady Lepida been hovering?" she asked, glowering over at the giggling blonde, "And what does she want?"

"She was waiting here when we all got here. She's been nattering ever since. I think she wants her daughter to join the classes" Rothen replied casually, "Why?"

"Because she's a man-stealing, home wrecking whore, that's why" Melody snapped, "I'm going over there. See you later, Roth"

She heard Rothen's laugh behind her, "Okay. Good luck"

Melody marched over to her husband and Lepida, pushing past the frightened looking girl who was the image of her mother and glaring at Lepida.

"Hello, Lady Lepida" she said sweetly, ice in her voice and in her smile, "It's been a long time"

Lepida's eyes flashed, "Oh, hasn't it just?" she glanced at Marcella and forced a smile of her own, "Oh, is that your daughter? Isn't she pretty? Looks just like her father"

"Actually, most people think she looks like Mellie and Aurelia" Lorkin put in, sounding rather uncomfortable. Melody gave him a sharp look and he shut up at once.

"Oh no, I think she looks _just_ like you, Lord Lorkin" Lepida looked Melody up and down, "And I see you haven't quite lost the baby weight yet. Shame"

Melody flared up at once, "You bitch! Lorkin, tell her – "

"Melody is beautiful, Lady Lepida, and I'd thank you not to suggest otherwise" Lorkin still sounded uncomfortable, but his voice was cold enough to make Melody's day, "I'd like you to leave, please. I'd be happy to accept Hala into the class – I'll be teaching my own daughter self-defence when she's older – but I don't want you anywhere near my lessons for any reason. Understood?"

Hala looked delighted, both because she had been accepted and because it would give her time away from her mother. She skipped off to join Sonea's Yena, who had just arrived and looked slightly awkward in the big group of boys. Lepida glared at Lorkin and Melody, but didn't have an argument to make. She stormed off without another word.

Lorkin grinned at Melody, "Thank God she's gone, I thought she was never going to leave!" he noticed that Melody was not smiling with him; in fact, she looked somewhat pained, "What's wrong?"

"When I saw her standing over here with you, it looked like you still liked her"

"Still?! Mellie, I never did like her! You know that?" sighing heavily, Lorkin turned to face his class, "I'm sorry for the delay, guys, but I need another five minutes, okay? Wait here. Practice what we learned last week. I promise I'll be back"

As soon as his magically amplified voice had faded to normal and the class were practising attacks on each other, Lorkin drew Melody into the shelter of the Arena and looked closely at her.

"You don't really think there'd ever be anything between me and Lepida, do you?"

Melody, still wounded from Lepida's insults, shrugged noncommittally. Lorkin sighed again.

"Look into my mind, you stupid girl" he said at last. Melody stared at him.

"What?"

"Come here" he took her hands and placed them on his temples, "Then you can see, once and for all, what I really think of Lepida and what I really think of you"

And so she entered his mind. They hadn't done that for some time – aside from on their wedding night when Melody knew what she wanted but hadn't known how to put it into words, so she'd put it into his mind instead. That had been a good night, she reflected.

She saw Lepida, as Lorkin saw her, and she discovered that Lorkin loathed Lepida about as much as she did. He pictured Lepida as a viper most of the time, worming her way in and destroying lives. He recalled the day she'd kissed him with revulsion, and saw her efforts to entrap him now as futile and pathetic.

Though she'd seen all she needed to see, Melody felt her curiosity peak, and she looked into Lorkin's mind for what he thought, and felt, about her. She felt Lorkin's amusement at this act.

_You can look at anything you want, nosey. I don't have secrets from you._

Melody grinned, putting her own reply into his head, _Good. I will._

And she did. She saw how Lorkin pictured her, which was much more beautiful than she actually was. She flashed through his memories of them together; the moment he realised he loved her when they were Novices and she got drunk at a party, her seduction of him as a student, the day he proposed, the day and night they wed, a million other nights, days she told him she was pregnant, the days when she bore their children, tiny little moments between them like a kiss on his cheek as she left for the hospital or the awkward smile on her face as she gave him a badly prepared meal.

When she withdrew from his mind, they were both grinning. Marcella looked between them, smiling because they were smiling, as she so often did.

"See?" Lorkin said gently, "Didn't I tell you? Lepida could never replace you; no-one could. I've got too much of you in me. So stop worrying"

Melody laughed, "Okay" face softening, she leaned up to kiss him gently, "Thank you"

"Dad, are you ready yet? Mum's supposed to be watching and I want to show her something good!" Akkarin whined, a most un-Akkarin thing to do. Lorkin laughed.

"Okay, I'm coming. And Mum's going to be watching you very closely, aren't you?" he promised, looking at Melody. She nodded and kissed her son's forehead.

"Of course I am. Come on"


	8. Thoughts

**A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews, sorry it's taken me a little while to update. I just finished the last book in the Traitor Spy Trilogy and am FUMING about the turn of events, but the good thing is it made me really want to write more of this. Oh, and I re-read The High Lord, because I needed some closure after the disappointment of the third book. So I'm in a very BMT state of mind at the moment. Please review and thank you for reading (and reading my ramblings!).**

Sonea had grown used to the house quicker than she had thought she would.

She and Osen had made up without actually really talking about what appeared to be his biggest issue – the fact that Akkarin still stood between them like the elephant in the room. When she got to the house she found that the entrance down to the underground room had been sealed, and she was pretty sure Balkan wouldn't have done that. Osen had done it, but he thought it was for her own good, so she decided that she might as well just let it be. Even if she really did want to see that room again.

Yena occupied the bedroom that had once been Sonea's, and every morning when she went to wake her daughter Sonea could barely bring herself to step into the room. She just poked her head around the door and yelled, and Yena woke up. It was easier that way.

She was doing alright. Maybe the sight of a pair of black robes in a secret compartment in the back of the wardrobe had stopped her dead for a second, but then she'd taken them out and decided that she could use them – after all, she'd needed a new set of robes for some time. Maybe looking at the empty chair in the library had made her freeze in the doorway once or twice, but then she sat in it with a book instead, to stop herself having to look at it. She had ways of overcoming how she felt, and they appeared to be working.

Lorkin dropped in to visit on her day off from the hospital, bringing Akkarin with him.

"Hey, Akkarin!" Sonea hugged her eldest grandson, who was usually so unresponsive but always had a hug for his favourite grandmother, "Where are your brother and sister?"

Lorkin rolled his eyes, "Best not to ask, but I'll tell you anyway. Korsten said he's scared of the big house, and Marcella's sick so Melody's with her. So it's just me and Akkarin today" he looked around, "Home alone?"

"Yena's off somewhere with Arius – she thinks I don't know, but I do" a smile twitched at the corner of Sonea's mouth. Lorkin grinned.

"You can hardly stop them. Anyway, I think they make a lovely couple"

"I'd rather she was with Rothen. He's closer to her age"

Lorkin looked at his mother with narrowed eyes, and a grin flew to her own face.

"I know, I know, I'm not one to talk about age gaps! But it's different when it's your daughter. You wait until Marcella's Yena's age"

Lorkin shuddered, "I don't want to think about that yet"

Akkarin pulled at Sonea's sleeve, "Can I look around? I've never been in here before"

"That's because you've not had a High Lord in the family before" she ruffled his dark hair, "Yes, of course you can. Don't touch anything in Auntie Yena's room, though, because she'll notice and blame me"

Akkarin nodded and dashed off, looking excited. Sonea rolled her eyes and sat down.

"He's definitely going to want adventure when he's older. He'll end up a Warrior, like you"

"I know you didn't approve of me choosing this discipline, but you've got to admit, I've done alright out of it"

Sonea smiled wryly, "Yes, you have. I may not have approved, but I am proud of you and what you've done"

"I know you are, Mum. But Akkarin's too sensible to become a Warrior. He's made of better stuff than I am, and he's only eight. I think he'll be a Healer. More sensible than both his parents, that would be"

They both laughed. Sonea leaned back in her seat, eyes narrowed as she scrutinised her son.

"Now, are you going to tell me the reason for your visit, Lorkin? Generally you come here for one of three reasons"

Lorkin looked sheepish, but curious at the same time, "What are the three reasons?"

Sonea counted them off on her fingers, "One, because you want something. Two, because you've done something wrong. Or three, because you and Melody have had a row and you don't want to face her"

_Like me and Osen the other day_, Sonea thought briefly. As the thought crossed her mind, she saw Lorkin's expression change to one of concern, before he smoothed it away. He always had been pretty good at hiding what he was thinking – when he remembered to do so.

"Lorkin? What is it? Something happened just then. Have you done something wrong?"

Lorkin shook his head, fidgeting, "No! At least, I don't think so. I just need to ask you something"

"Go on"

"Is – I mean, I know not everyone can do it, but – is it relatively normal to be able to hear surface thoughts?"

Sonea's eyes widened in surprise, "Um...well, no. Not really"

"Oh" Lorkin's face fell.

"You can hear surface thoughts?" Sonea queried, "Since when?"

"I don't know, I guess it's been going on for a few months now. But I haven't done anything differently, it just sort of manifested itself out of nowhere. I thought I was imagining it at first, but last night I heard Melody's voice saying something she hadn't said out loud, and a millisecond later, she'd said it. Aloud, I mean"

"I have heard of someone else who can do it. But only one other person"

Lorkin looked relieved, "Oh, good. I should talk to them, see if they've always been able to do it or what. Because it seems strange"

Sonea laughed, though not with mirth, "Oh, that could be difficult. It was your father. He could do it. At least, everyone said he could. I didn't believe it at first, but there were a couple of moments and...when I look back on it, I think it was the truth. But he's the only other person I know of that could do it"

"Father could do it?" Lorkin sighed, sinking back into his chair, "I wonder if he could always do it"

Sonea shrugged, "Unfortunately, I don't know. But have you told Melody about it yet?"

Lorkin grew crimson, "No. Well, it's not the sort of ability you'd want a husband to have, is it? It might freak her out a bit"

"I'm sure you know her enough now to avoid making it awkward. You're going to have to tell her"

"I know. It's just not going to be a fun conversation"

* * *

"You want to...what?" Dannyl looked blankly at Tayend, clearly confused. Tayend was buzzing with excitement, and clearly frustrated that Dannyl didn't understand his idea as we as he'd hoped.

"We need a new cataloguing system for the books here. I always told Errend his system was old-fashioned, and now's our chance to do something about it. He wouldn't have recommended us as guardians of the library if he hadn't got faith that we'd make the right choices"

"Right. But Tayend, the work involved in creating a whole new system...it could take years to organise!"

"No, it wouldn't. Look, I've drawn up plans already"

Dannyl grinned, amused, "Ah. That's why it took so long for you to come up to bed last night"

Tayend flashed him a smile in return, "Sorry. My imagination ran away with me a bit. Look. We can have a progressive system – books organised by subject instead of difficulty, a simple idea that should have been done years ago, but separate the old books from the new. I don't want people with their grubby fingers over the old books. I was thinking we could section them off, you could put a magical barrier up or something, so that we could choose who got to read them and who didn't. And we'd have to do that with the restricted books too. We need to knock a few walls down as well – "

Dannyl's eyebrows rose, "Knock down walls? I think you're getting a bit carried away"

"I'm not! It makes sense, I promise. Instead of having separate rooms for study, we make one big, public area. Not only does that allow us to keep an eye on everyone using our books, but it also means that everyone will be able to interact with people with the same interests as them. You can do sound barriers, can't you?"

"Well, yes, but this is beginning to involve a lot of magic"

"And? You're a magician" Tayend rolled his eyes, still bright with enthusiasm, "We'd only need one, for a silent study area in the corner of the room. The rest won't have restrictions. We can organise discussions of popular books, readings, demonstrations of printing and book binding and suchlike, it's going to be amazing. We can bring a whole new lease of life to this place"

Dannyl, looking at Tayend's hopeful, inspired face, was completely sold.

"I think it's fantastic. But it's going to be a lot of work. You're prepared for that?"

"Sure" Tayend nodded fervently, "I'm just glad you're on board. When can we start?"

* * *

Lorkin entered his rooms with Akkarin by his side, wondering how he was going to tell Melody about his strange new ability. It did involve a lot of concentration for him to be able to read surface thoughts though, so unless he was thinking deeply about something, she'd probably be safe. Of course, Melody, who had the same dramatic tendencies as her mother, wasn't likely to see it that simply.

"Mellie! We're back"

Korsten appeared at once, beaming at his father and brother. He ran up to Akkarin.

"Did you go inside the big house? Was it scary?"

Grinning wryly, Lorkin left them to it and went to find his wife in their bedroom with their baby daughter. He didn't say anything as he walked in, just listening for thoughts. When Melody met his eyes, briefly, before turning back to Marcella, he caught a flash of thankfulness that he was there, followed by an instant concern for their daughter.

_I wonder if he'll be offended if I tell him we should go and get my mother or Dorrien or Sonea? I mean, he's never been good at Healing. Though she only needs a little, I'm just not sure how to do it...would he be sure?_

Lorkin laughed, and Melody jumped, staring back at him.

"Why are you laughing?"

Lorkin's face fell, "Ah. Damn. Now I have to explain myself"

"Explain yourself?" Melody picked up Marcella, feeling the baby's forehead anxiously, and looked suspiciously at him, "What have you done?"

"Nothing! I've not done anything. I just...I've discovered that I've got a sort of...a weird ability. That no-one else has. Well, my father had it, but that hardly counts..."

"I'm dying to hear all about it" Melody said sternly, "Stop rambling and tell me what it is. I'm obviously not going to like it"

"I can read surface thoughts" Lorkin blurted out. When Melody stared at him and said nothing, he continued, "I was laughing because I could hear that you were worried about offending me with your doubt over my Healing skills"

Melody's eyes widened in horror, "You could hear it that clearly? Oh my God! I'm not sure I like this"

"It's okay! I can only do it when I really concentrate. I can make sure I don't do it around you, if it's not what you want. Well, I can try to"

She looked slightly placated, "Hm. Yes, you'd better not try. Thoughts should be kept private as much as they can" she sighed, "How did your mother put up with it?"

"I don't think she realised he could do it until after he was dead, which makes it less of a problem"

Melody couldn't resist laughing, "It sure does" she hesitated, "So you won't mind if I take Marcella to one of our mothers or to Dorrien?"

Lorkin laughed again, "No! Of course not. I'm a terrible Healer. Take her" he looked at their baby with concern, "Any idea what's wrong with her?"

"The beginnings of bluespot, I think. I'm not sure what you're supposed to do, I know it can be eased off, if not cured"

"Go" Lorkin smiled, ushering her towards the door, "I promise, I'm not offended"

**A/N: Sorry, this turned into a really long chapter! Apologies. There's just so many characters that it gets easier to write longer chapters. Please review!**


	9. Drama

**A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for reviewing. Just to warn you, I think these chapters are going to start becoming quite lengthy...just because of the amount of characters and the amount of plotlines. I bet it gets confusing. Anyway, please review and thank you for reading!**

Liliana looked over at Dorian from under her eyelashes. They'd been friends again for over a month now, and he'd still not shown any sign of a romantic inclination towards her. Sure, he seemed to enjoy spending time with her, and two of them made each other laugh. Liliana felt a lot less shy when she was with Dorian; she could laugh and make witty remarks like never before. She'd even gotten a little fitter, as he loved bouts in the Arena and she joined in with them to keep him close to her. It still wasn't working, though. And she was beginning to get a little irked.

"Hey, Dorian?" she nudged him in the ribs with her skinny elbow, smiling curiously, "You remember you said that you couldn't think of me romantically because you...like someone else?"

"Love" Dorian corrected, looking uncomfortable, "And yes? I'm sorry, Ana, it hasn't changed anything, us being friends – "

"I know" Liliana interrupted with a smile, though everytime he used that name for her, the one only he used and had established through their friendship, her heart twisted a little bit, "I just wondered if you could tell me who it is? I know it's a secret, but we're friends now, and I'm not going to tell anyone"

"You make it sound like we're still novices in school, all this talk of secrets" Dorian teased, but he still looked uncomfortable.

"I told you my secret" she offered up with a careless shrug, "I just thought you might tell me yours"

"You'll be angry"

"I don't get angry. Well, not often. I take after my father"

"This will make you angry" his face coloured, "It's someone you know"

"I guessed it would be. There's a lot of people in the Guild, but not enough to make it confusing" her smile was inviting, but she was beginning to get more and more worried about who this mystery woman was.

"It's..." Dorian shifted in his seat, "It's...I'm sorry, Ana, but it's your sister. Arbella"

"Arbella?!" Liliana exploded. He had been right – she sure as hell was angry, "Arbella! Seriously?!"

Liliana had been beaten by her sisters all her life. Melody was the eldest, the first to find love. Eden was the cleverest. Arbella was the prettiest. And now Arbella had beaten her yet again? It just didn't seem fair!

"I told you you wouldn't like it" he hesitated, "There's something else. Something worse"

"Oh, it can't possibly get any worse!" Liliana shrieked. She wasn't one for making a scene, but at that moment half the Arena were staring at them interestedly. She reddened and sat down again, trying to avoid another yell.

"I'm the father of her daughter" Dorian mumbled, so quietely she could hardly hear him, "I'm Talluali's father"

* * *

Aurelia and Dorrien had been having a really rather lovely day. Arbella had been whining about how stubborn Talluali was being for weeks; so, that day, Aurelia and Dorrien offered to help her out.

They were sitting round eating lunch when Liliana burst into the room. Aurelia was feeding Talluali, pulling faces as she did so, and Dorrien was watching with a little smile on his face, remembering that time not so long ago when she did that for their own children. Arbella looked more relaxed than she had done in a long time.

Liliana crashed into the room, face dark as thunder and jaw set in fury.

"You bitch!" she bellowed, "You complete and utter _cow_!"

Dorian suddenly appeared, skidding to a halt just behind Liliana. Understanding dawned on Arbella's lovely face and she rose from her seat, crimson with rage.

"You told her?! I told you not to tell anyone!" she shrieked at Dorian. Aurelia and Dorrien exchanged a confused glance.

"Um, excuse me, but what's going on?" Aurelia asked tentatively. Liliana rounded on her mother.

"Ask your precious Arbella, why don't you? Go on, Arbella, tell her!"

Arbella was still glowering at Dorian, "I told you to forget it. You _said _you didn't want to be involved!"

"I don't! It's just that we're friends and she asked and – "

"She's been in love with you for years! That's why you were supposed to keep your gob shut!"

"Arbella, shut up! You've done enough. You selfish little whore, I – "

"Liliana!" Dorrien cried, horrified, "Don't talk like that! This isn't like you at all"

"You don't know what she's done!" Liliana screeched, "You knew I liked him! I told you when I was a novice and you were still stupid and evil enough to go behind my back!"

Arbella turned on her younger sister, "It wasn't _you_ he was interested in"

"_WHORE_!" Liliana roared, and sent a well-aimed Mindstrike at her sister. Arbella yelped in pain.

"GIRLS! GIRLS! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Liliana and Arbella leapt apart at Aurelia's yell. Even Dorrien looked shaken. Talluali started to cry. Dorian slunk quietely out of the room.

"Will you please tell us what's going on?" Dorrien asked sternly, "Now"

Aurelia picked up her granddaughter and cuddled her, looking at her two daughters sternly. Both of them shuffled uncomfortably on their seats, but still glared at one another.

"Arbella betrayed me" Liliana said sulkily, "I hate her"

"Oh for goodness sake" Aurelia rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, "You're not teenagers anymore"

"I told Arbella I was in love with Dorian _in confidence_, and not only did she SLEEP WITH HIM, she gave birth to his child! And then never told me about it!"

"Wait a minute" Dorrien looked horrified, "He's the father of Talluali? You always told us you didn't know who he was!"

"Exactly. She's a lying little slut" Liliana muttered under her breath. Aurelia's eyes flashed.

"Liliana! You don't ever call anyone that, you hear me?"

"I thought you said we weren't teenagers anymore" Liliana huffed, but she fell sulkily silent afterward.

"I'm sorry, Dad" Arbella mumbled, "I didn't want you to murder him"

"Oh, it's not too late" Dorrien growled, making towards the door. Aurelia stopped him, grabbing his sleeve.

"Dorrien, stop it. You don't need to do that" her voice was gentle, and she fixed her eyes on his knowing that he would never look away from her. The anger slumped out of him and he instead turned to glare at his daughter.

"I'm very disappointed in you"

Tears welled in Arbella's eyes, "I really am sorry"

"Too little too late, Arbella" Aurelia put in sadly, "We'll look after Talluali tonight, as planned, but I think you should go now. You need to sort some things out"

Looking back at Liliana, eyes filled with tears and face full of resentment, Arbella hugged and kissed her now very bemused daughter goodbye and departed the room.

She needed to go and find Eden.

They may not have been similar, but they were twins, and they were best friends. Whenever she messed up, it was Eden she went to. Or Rothen. But she knew that Rothen had gone away for a few days, to visit Dannyl. He hadn't been feeling well and they'd suggested that a change of air would do him good. Eden was the only one left.

She knew that Eden helped Professor Larkin out with some of his classes, as a sort of teaching assistant, and decided that that would be the best place to look. When she got there, however, the door was locked. Arbella frowned. She could definitely hear voices inside, and one of them was Eden's. Damn Eden for being so bloody difficult when her eyes were burning with tears and she needed a hug!

Swiping the wetness in her eyes away impatiently, Arbella focussed her will on making the door swing open with magic. She managed it, the door opening a slither at her command. She pushed it a little further open to peer through the crack...

And she froze.

The only two people in the room were Eden and Larkin.

They were on the desk.

They were naked.

And they were...well. Intertwined, shall we say.

Arbella shrieked.


	10. Desire

**A/N: Sorry for the gap! I do really want to update more often, but A levels have turned out to be extremely stressful – you wouldn't believe how much work I have to do after only five days – so I think I'll probably only get to update once a week, if I'm lucky. Apologies. Thanks so much for reviewing, and please review some more!**

Moments before Arbella barged into the room, Eden had finally been discussing with Larkin the thing that bothered her most of all about their relationship.

Marriage.

"Larkin?" she stroked her fingertips through his dark curls as she spoke, hoping to soothe him into giving the answer she wanted to hear. He looked up from the book they had been sharing and smiled at her.

"Uh-oh. That is _not_ a good tone of voice. What do you want?"

"Nothing!" she laughed, though her cheeks coloured slightly, "I just wanted to ask you something"

Another thing that bothered Eden regarding their relationship was that sometimes, she still felt like the schoolgirl she had been when their relationship first began. And that made her a little bit uncomfortable. It also put the relationship a little bit out of balance.

"Ask away"

"You do love me, don't you?"

"Eden, it's been eight years. If I didn't love you, then...well, then there's no explanation for why I've been with you for so long" Larkin snorted, still smiling, "You do ask some daft questions sometimes"

"I know. I just needed to...ascertain" Eden hesitated, "Larkin, why do we still keep this thing a secret? Us?"

Larkin's eyes met hers, and she saw a hint of discomfort that she'd seen many times before when the subject had been broached, "You know why, Eden. Because I slept with you when you were a novice. On this very desk, I seem to recall" a mischievous glint lit his eyes, but he was still uncomfortable. Eden rolled her eyes.

"_We_ slept _together_ and I just happened to be a novice" she corrected, "And we don't have to tell people that we've been together for eight years. We can say eight months if you want. Just as long as they don't find out"

"Only problem with that is that you're a crap liar" Larkin frowned quizzically at her, "Eden, why are you worrying about this?"

"I just hate keeping secrets from my family, that's all. Especially Dad"

"Your Dad's the last person we could tell. He'd kill me if he found out how long we'd been together"

"Like I said, we wouldn't tell him that part! And I can lie – haven't I been lying for the last eight years?" she was smiling still, but there was a sharpness in her tone. Larkin noted it and reached out to take her hand, tracing swirls on her upturned palm.

"I understand what you're saying, Ede, I just think that maybe we should wait a little longer. Give me a couple of weeks to psych myself up to the idea"

"You've had eight years" she grumbled, but her voice was tinged with hope, "Hey, Larkin?"

"Mhm?" he had pushed up the green sleeve of her robe and was planting kisses up the length of her arm. A shiver rushed down her spine.

"Do you want to marry me? Not now, I just mean...One day"

He moved his lips from her skin and smiled crookedly, "Of course I want to marry you. One day very, very soon"

Eden slid into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You want to carry on with that kissing thing?"

"Oh, definitely"

Five minutes after this suggestion, when the desk was being used for much more than it's original purpose, was when Arbella walked in. And screamed.

"Arbella!" Eden shrieked, leaping away from Larkin and grabbing up her robe. Larkin toppled from the desk, rolling to the floor and grappling for his own clothes, while Eden hastily shrugged on her robes.

"What on earth is going on?" Arbella hissed.

Eden briefly registered the fact that her sister's eyes were red and her face damp, but before she could make a move to comfort her Arbella was shrieking at her, slamming the classroom door shut before she did so.

"How long has this been going on? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Look, Bella, I wanted to tell you, it's just difficult – "

Larkin, now fully dressed, moved to stand by Eden's hand. She instinctively reached for his hand.

"You're not answering the question!" Arbella snapped shrilly. Eden glanced at Larkin before replying.

"Just a few months. We were keeping it quiet, taking it slowly just to see how it panned out. It's not personal" she extended her other hand towards her twin, but Arbella didn't look convinced.

"You're lying"

"No, Arbella, I'm not" but Eden had spoken the words a little too quickly. Arbella's eyes widened into huge blue discs of horror.

"Oh my God. Was this going on when we were novices?" her eyes widened further as something more came to her, "Was this why you were taking extra sessions in our Alchemy classes, helping out after class? So he could _screw you_?!"

"I wasn't _screwing_ her!" Larkin snapped, before realising what he'd said, "Well, I was, but it's not like you think. I love her"

"I came onto him, anyway" a little smile flitted across Eden's face, "You would have been proud, Arbella. I threw myself at him and managed to get him to respond"

Arbella's face was white, "But it's against Guild rules!"

"Like you've never done anything against Guild rules! Arbella, I love him too. Please don't do this. I did want to tell you" Eden hesitated, eyes narrowed, "Anyway, you never told me who Talluali's father is. We all have secrets"

Arbella's eyes burned with tears, "Oh, well, ask bloody Liliana. That secret's out. That's what I came to tell you"

"Oh, Bella, is that why you're upset?" Eden reluctantly let go of Larkin's hand and moved to her sister, "So you can tell me now, right?"

"Oh no" her voice was bitter, and a mirthless grin fell onto Arbella's face, "You can take the rest of the crap today. You have to go and tell Mum and Dad about you and Larkin. Or I will"

* * *

"Hell, Yena! Let go!" Arius yelped, twisting his arm out of Yena's fierce grasp. She was grinning smugly.

"Hurt, did it?"

"No, I just wasn't ready. Anyway, we're supposed to be using magic – not attacking each other with our cat claws! Your nails are really sharp"

"I know. That's why I used them – they make a good weapon, don't they?"

Arius looked at her doubtfully, rubbing his pinched skin, "I'm not so sure"

Yena laughed, "You're just weak. Anyway, Mother grew up in the slums, and she's always stressed the important of being able to fight physically and magically in combat. It worked for her, right?"

"Yes, well, I'd prefer it if you used it on your actual enemies"

Yena looked around them, "Everyone else is fighting. Does that make us all enemies?"

"Stop it with the smart remarks. Anyway, Rothen's not. What's wrong with him lately? He looks like someone's hit him around the face!"

A frown of anxiety puckered Yena's brow, "I don't know. I've tried talking to him, but he insists he's fine. Have you tried?"

"Not really. But I will do" Arius straightened, trying to hide the fact that his arm still hurt, "Ready for another try?"

"Try?! You mean win? Of course"

He sent a mild heatstrike at her, but Yena had a strong shield and easily flung it back at him. He'd remembered to put up a shield himself, so this proved ineffective, but Yena's next trick didn't.

Launching across the short distance between them, she flung the weight of her body on top of him and grabbed his wrists, digging in hard with her nails and holding his wrists up above his head.

"I win" she breathed into his face, grinning. She smelt sweet, and looked even lovelier close up. The feather-light weight of her body was pressed flat on top of him, and she showed no sign of moving even though she'd already won.

"Fine, you win! You going to let me go?" he barely even noticed the pressure from where she was holding up his wrists, he was so absorbed in the warmth of her body against his and the sparkle in her eyes that looked like more than triumph and laughter. It looked like...desire.

"Do you want me to?" she asked it in a voice that was low and tempting, and moved her body against his so slightly that no-one around them would have noticed, but Arius certainly did. He had to smother a groan, and that seemed much more effort than holding back the pain did.

"Yena..."

"Arius! Yena!" Lorkin was standing over them, his voice loud but sounding more sternly amused than angry, "Yena, I'm going to have to insist that you get off of him at once"

Yena grinned up at her protective older brother, unembarrassed, "Hmm, Lorkin, I don't know if I can"

Lorkin seized her upper arm, though not roughly, and dragged her up to her feet. Arius stayed inert on the floor, stunned and suddenly cold now that her warmth had been taken away.

"I usually see Arius taking advantage of you, not the other way round"

Yena looked down at where Arius lay and smiled, "I'm sure he's not angry with me"

Lorkin chuckled, "Oh, I'm sure he's not. Just don't let me see you two getting that close again"

Yena fluttered her eyelashes, smiling innocently, "Don't worry, Lorkin. You won't see us"

Arius grinned at her cunning, regaining some of his senses.

It wasn't until he walked away that Lorkin realised what she'd said, and he couldn't help but smile.


	11. Anger

**A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews – Azlira, I'm not even sure about Larkin myself, but I'm sure you will have formed an opinion on him soon. And I calculated that Eden would be about 24, I think it worked out, and I picture Larkin to be about 30. Hope that clears things up, and I promise I'll reply to your PM ASAP! Please review and thank you for reading one and all!**

"You do understand why I'm angry, don't you, Liliana?" Aurelia inquired sternly - she couldn't remember ever telling Liliana off before! – "You don't go around calling people whores and sluts when you don't know the circumstances"

"But I _do_ know the circumstances!" Liliana protested, frustrated, "She's my sister and she knew that I liked Dorian, and she still slept with him as well as pretty much every other male novice in the Guild at the time, and probably even some of the female ones – "

Dorrien choked on his wine, "Excuse me?!"

"It was a phase some novices went through when Arbella was in training" Liliana dismissed her father's shock with a wave of her hand and turned back to her mother with blazing eyes, "I think I _love _Dorian, Mum, and she's ruined _everything_!"

"You can't keep whining as though you're thirteen" Aurelia remarked, still sharp, "You need to go and do something about it"

"You're talking to me as though I'm thirteen" Liliana retorted snappishly, "And I already did! I told him how I felt, and he told me he's still in love with Arbella!"

"And yet he wanted no part in Talluali's life" Dorrien mused, looking down at his granddaughter, asleep across his lap, "It seems odd to me. Surely that would have been the best way to forge a connection with Arbella? Not to mention it's the only honourable thing to do and he's always seemed like a good kid"

"It must have been daunting for him" Aurelia pointed out kindly, "And maybe he doesn't feel as strongly about her as he suggests. It is odd"

"Oh, he cares about her" Liliana retorted bitterly.

"_Daunting_ is taking on a beautiful, psychologically and emotionally damaged nineteen year old who's pregnant with another man's baby" Dorrien corrected Aurelia's earlier remark with a wry smile on his lips, and she smiled at him lovingly. Liliana scowled at the affection between them and slouched in her seat.

The door came open again, though this time with a quiet click rather than a crash. Arbella was standing there, looking both triumphant and slightly disturbed.

"And you thought I was the black sheep of the family" she muttered, almost gleefully, before ushering in a blushing Eden and an uncomfortable Larkin. Dorrien rose from his seat, cradling Talluali in his arms, to greet his colleague.

"Well met, Lord Larkin" he said brightly, "Can we help you?"

"What did you mean, Arbella?" Aurelia asked at the same time, looking from Arbella to Eden, who had her head bowed.

"Eden has something to tell you" Arbella told them. Eden looked up to throw a vicious glare at her twin, and reached back a searching hand. Her fingertips stretched out, seeking Larkin's, and once she found them she seemed to relax a little.

Dorrien caught sight of Eden and Larkin's clasped hands and frowned at his protégée and his cleverest daughter, "Eden? What's this?"

Larkin gave Eden a look that seemed to signify she should keep quiet, and turned to Dorrien himself with a pleasant smile.

"Lord Dorrien, Eden and I came here to tell you that we are currently in a relationship and very much in love"

Eden looked up at him with sparkling eyes – she loved hearing him say that he loved her – before looking at her parents. Dorrien handed the still-sleeping Talluali to her mother, who was seated by a hostile Liliana. He simply looked bemused. Aurelia was smiling.

"That's lovely, dear! I'm very pleased to hear it. Aren't you, Dorrien?"

"He's older than you" Dorrien said bluntly, now addressing his eldest daughter. Eden ducked her head again.

"Yes" she mumbled, "But only by a few years, Dad. Not much more than between you and Mum" at this, she managed to meet his eyes again. Dorrien still looked doubtful. Larkin squeezed her hand.

"You haven't heard the best bit yet" Arbella sang out.

"Bella!" Eden hissed, "Stop it!"

But of course, both her parents had already heard and were looking expectantly at her. Eden swallowed, and when she spoke her voice was so quiet that they had to strain to hear her.

"We've been having an affair since I was a novice in Larkin's class"

Aurelia shrieked, clapping a hand to her mouth, "Eden!"

Dorrien's face slowly darkened from a mottled, angry red to a furious purple. He was looking between Eden and Larkin in rage and horror.

"She was _fifteen_" he hissed venomously, "She got early entry. She was _FIFTEEN_"

And he launched himself at Larkin with a strength that far exceeded the expectations of a man of his years. Before he could reach the magician, however, Eden had leapt in front of Larkin and was looking defiantly at her father, chin jutted out and eyes blazing in an exact imitation of her mother.

"Dad, if you touch him you won't EVER see me again"

Dorrien scoffed and went to push past her, but another look at the determination in her dark eyes stopped him. Aurelia rushed to him, putting her hand in his and drawing him away from the terrified couple.

"Good God" she groaned, "There are some thing you just don't want your children to inherit"

"We could get you punished by the Guild for this" Dorrien growled, "We could do that"

"You've no proof" Eden snapped, "And you wouldn't do that to me"

"No. But I'd do it to him" he glowered at Larkin, "I always liked you. I used to sit and have meetings with you about your classes, we used to sit together and chat in the Night Room, and all the time you were _fucking my daughter_?!"

His voice had suddenly risen again and Aurelia had to wrap her arms around his chest in an attempt to restrain him, "Stop it, Dorrien. Darling. Calm down. Please"

Once Dorrien had stopped struggling and looking as though he wanted to slaughter both his daughter and her lover, Aurelia let him go and looked at Eden and Larkin.

"We won't tell anyone" she said at last, "On one condition"

"Anything" Larkin said at once, more than a hint of despair in his voice, "Anything at all"

"You have to get married"


	12. Teasing

**A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews, they made me very happy :D Please review again and thank you for reading.**

Eden could feel herself holding her breath involuntarily. Her eyes were wide and bright with hope, eagerness, and a touch of desperation. Did Larkin really love her enough to marry her? Had he been lying about his intentions all along – had he ever really intended to marry her? Now was the time to find out. She increased her pressure on his hand.

Larkin looked down, looking slightly surprised by the force of her touch as he regarded their entwined hands. She smiled sheepishly and, quite suddenly, he laughed.

"I agree" he said, smiling at Aurelia, "I would be honoured to marry your daughter"

"Oh!" it was Eden that shrieked in joy and delight, "I want to marry you, too!"

Aurelia looked over at a sulking Dorrien as if to drive home the fact that she had found the perfect solution, but he refused to look at anything other than the floor. She looked back at the couple, now wrapped in what looked like a rather heated embrace. She cleared her throat, loudly.

"Eden. I don't think your father is ready for that yet"

Eden broke away from Larkin at once, but she was smiling superciliously, as if she couldn't quite believe her luck.

* * *

"Wait a minute, what?" Melody gawped at her mother, almost dropping her mug of raka onto the floor, "I didn't know Eden was with anyone! She's always been single"

"Apparently not" Aurelia sighed, bouncing Marcella on her knee and smiling at the shrieking baby as though she wasn't thoroughly exhausted with the whole affair, "I think yesterday was the most eventful day of my life in years. You were never that much trouble. The boys are no trouble at all. Why can't your sisters be like that?"

Melody grinned, "Because you were trouble, and someone had to inherit it"

Aurelia made to protest, but ended up laughing instead, "I suppose you're right. But what with this triangle between Arbella and Liliana, who still aren't talking, and now a wedding plan and you with a little baby and Rothen acting so strangely, well...I don't quite know where to look!"

"Rothen's still being weird?" Melody's voice grew anxious, "Any idea what's up?"

"Nope" Aurelia thought of that morning, when she'd ruffled the dark hair of her youngest child and gently insisted that he could tell her anything. He'd smiled and thanked her, claiming there was nothing wrong, but she knew better. She'd raised six children and had four grandchildren, so her experience was pretty much boundless.

"I'm sure he'll tell you if it's anything too major. Maybe he still likes Yena – and her and Arius have been getting a lot closer lately"

"Have they?" Aurelia's face lit up, "You've seen them?"

"No, but Lorkin says things are getting pretty heated in his Warrior skills lesson. Last week Yena somehow managed to tackle Arius to the ground and end up on top of him. Apparently, she took her time moving away"

"She is a clever one, isn't she?" Aurelia grinned, "But I do think she's maybe a little too young for Arius. Even if she is very mature"

"No use trying to tell her that. They're both stubborn as mules, neither of them will listen. Look what happened when Osen tried to keep them apart. That hardly lasted long"

"I suppose it's only a matter of time before _something_ happens with them"

"Yes. I would imagine so"

"Wonderful. That's just what we need, isn't it? More drama!"

"You chose to have a big family" Melody taunted, "You suffer the consequences"

* * *

Arius was in rather a daze as he left his Architecture class. He hadn't understood a thing the entire lesson, and he was beginning to worry that this ever-growing infatuation with Yena was clouding his mind.

Checking around to make sure no-one would catch him if he used the teacher's short-cut to reach his mother and father's rooms, he ducked down the passageway, leafing through his notes from the lesson in a futile attempt to make it make sense.

He didn't hear the light footsteps behind him, but the next thing he knew someone fairly light but definitely noticeable had leapt onto his back and was clinging their like a monkey, laughing her head off. He yelped, trying to fling her off, only making her laugh harder, until she rolled off his back and onto the floor.

"You thought no-one had seen you!" she shrieked in hysterics, tears of laughter rolling down her face. Arius looked down at her, arms folded, trying to look stern.

"It wasn't that funny, Yena"

"Spoilsport" she grinned, standing up and wiping her eyes, "Admit it, you were freaked out"

He shrugged, but couldn't help himself smiling with her, "Maybe a little. But you've got to stop attacking me"

"It's fun. Not to mention it's the only way I can get you to touch me"

"Yena..." Arius said, both wary and hopeful, "What do you mean?"

She shrugged, mimicking him, and moved towards him with a sway in her narrow hips, "I don't know. What do you think I mean?"

"Don't play games with me"

"I'm not. Anyway, you know you'd be bored if I didn't"

"I couldn't be bored with you"

"I think you would"

"You want to bet?"

"Sure. I like bets"

"Come here and kiss me, Yena"

Yena's eyebrows rose, her grin widening, "That wasn't very romantic"

"I can do romance" he moved swiftly towards her, putting his hands either side of her waist and then reaching out to push back her dark curly hair. He inclined his head so that his lips were inches from hers and, with a surge of triumph, felt the normally unflappable Yena's breath hitch.

Then she pulled away from him, sharply, so that it took a moment for him to react.

"Yena!"

She was already walking away, wiggling her fingers over her shoulder, "You're going to have to do a bit better than that, Arius"

* * *

"Did you think I was going to refuse?" Larkin queried. Eden looked over at him, shivering with the not unpleasant sensation of him drumming his fingers along her bare spine.

"I don't know" she said, considering him with her head tilted, "I didn't know what you were going to do"

"You really thought that I wasn't going to marry you? I told you that I would one day, didn't I? I just didn't bargain on it being so soon. But that's okay"

"I wasn't sure if you were just saying it to...I don't know, keep me from nagging you" she rolled onto her side, pulling the sheets over her to avoid distraction, "I was scared"

"You shouldn't be. I love you"

"I know that now" a smile finally softened her features, "I can't believe it's really happening. What do you think people will say?"

"God only knows. They'll probably speculate about how long it's been going on, but we can deny it and they've got no proof"

"Is it bad that you're the only man I've ever slept with and the only man I ever will sleep with?" Eden asked, half laughing, "Arbella would be disgusted"

Larkin grinned, pushing the sheets back to kiss where her neck and shoulders met, "That's why I'm marrying you, and not Arbella" he told her huskily, and Eden proceeded to thank him most decidedly for that piece of comfort.

* * *

"Tayend! TAYEND! What the hell are you doing, you're supposed to wait for me to do it, not hammer the whole flaming wall down!" Dannyl yelped, horrified. Tayend looked to be rather enjoying himself with the huge mallet he'd borrowed off of some workmen, and seemed disappointed when Dannyl stopped him.

"I told you we had to knock this wall down, and you were taking too long. I thought I'd get started by myself"

"It's not safe! If I do it with magic I can control it. The whole wall could have collapsed on you!"

"It would have been quite a fun way to die" Tayend replied cheerfully, "Helping to achieve my life's mission. And knocking stuff down is always fun"

"You're so...common, sometimes" Dannyl sighed, rolling his eyes, but a smile was starting to form. Tayend saw it and grinned.

"I knew it'd make you laugh eventually. Go on then, you do it. I just wanted to get started before we escort Rothen back to the Guild tomorrow"

"Step back, then, and for mercy's sake put down that _thing_ – "

_Dannyl?_

"Oh, and the mind voice calls again" it was Tayend's turn to roll his eyes, as he saw Dannyl's expression grow vacant. Dannyl smiled ruefully.

"I won't be long"

_Aurelia!_

_Hi!_ She sounded stressed. _Just wanted to see how everything was coming along with the library? Dorrien spoke to Rothen this morning, he said he's having a lovely time but you're working hard._

_We really are. It's worth it though. Tayend's loving it._ He heard a thump come from the real world and closed his eyes in brief horror. _Sorry, Aurelia, one minute._

_Of cour-_

"TAYEND! Can you wait just five minutes? Holy – PUT THE MALLET DOWN!"

_Mallet? What mallet?_ She seemed torn between amusement and confusion.

_You really don't want to know. Distract me before I slaughter him. How are things at the Guild?_

_Oh my._ You_ really don't want to know._

_That bad, eh?_

_Yes! Yesterday, we found that Aurelia has been sleeping with her Alchemy teacher since she was fifteen, and now they're getting married._

_Good God! The Guild don't know, do they?_

_Certainly not! I don't want a repeat of our debacle. That's not all, either._

_Really? Go on._

_We also discovered that the father of Arbella's Talluali is a young man that Liliana is apparently in love with, which Arbella knew when she slept with him. So she betrayed her sister and then lied about it. Safe to say, they aren't talking._

_Oh dear. Please tell me that's all__?_

_Oh no. Yena is flirting with Arius, and he definitely likes her but I don't think Osen will approve of the age gap. Sonea's still not very happy in the High Lord's Residence. Oh, and something's wrong with Rothen but he won't breathe a word to anyone. I'm exhausted._

_But Mellie's well?_

_Yes. The only one who's not giving me any trouble! We did a good job there._

_In a roundabout way, I suppose we di – TAYEND!_

_What's he done now?_

_I'm going to have to go. I'll speak with you again later._

_You'd better. Have fun!_


	13. Revelations

**A/N: Hi! Thank you so much for the reviews – I'm glad you found the episode with Tayend and the mallet amusing! He's so fun to write sometimes. Anyway, please review and thank you for reading.**

"Do you still like Yena?" Nyx asked Rothen curiously one day after Lorkin's Warrior Skills class, "Because she seems pretty keen on your brother at the moment"

Rothen shrugged slightly, then looked at Nyx's handsome features out of the corner of his eye while they walked, "I don't know. I think her and Arius make a good couple. Better than her and I would have, anyway"

"You think so?" Nyx looked thoughtful, "I can see the two of you together"

"Yeah, well, that day's long past. She and Arius may as well have declared their _engagement_, the way things are between them" he joked, but a frown of worry was suddenly creasing Rothen's brow, "Why? Do you like her?"

Nyx snorted, "No, of course not! Too boyish for me. She's pretty, but the way she's always leaping around in the classes...it just puts me off of her" he paused, a slow grin spreading across his face, "Hala, however..."

"Hala?!" Rothen couldn't help spluttering out the name of Lady Lepida's youngest daughter in obvious horror, "But she's a useless warrior!"

"Exactly. She needs someone to protect her, and I'm quite happy to be that man"

Rothen could feel his chest tightening, and struggled to breathe properly. He had known all along that Nyx wasn't a lad, wouldn't even _consider_ the idea, but there had been a tiny shred of hope when Nyx hadn't liked anyone. Now that he liked Hala, Rothen wasn't sure he could hold on to that tiny shred of hope anymore.

"I see"

"I know you do. Who wouldn't? She's stunning"

"Her mother tried to break up my sister and Lord Lorkin once" it was all Rothen could think of to say. He felt numb. Hala was a nice girl. She was pretty. He had nothing to say against her.

Nyx looked blankly at him, "And? That doesn't mean she's like her mother. Lollia, the older one, she's always been alright. Who's to say that Hala isn't like her?"

"There's something about her..."

"No, there isn't! She's practically perfect. Wait a minute – you don't like her, do you?"

It was Rothen's turn to snort, but when he tried to smile it came out as more of a grimace, "No, of course not. Good luck to you"

"Thanks, mate. It's good to know you're on my side"

Rothen's grimaced stretched, "Yeah. Course I am"

* * *

Yena was sitting in the sunshine; head tilted back, thinking about Arius. She found herself doing that a lot lately. Much like it had with her mother, the giddiness of love made Yena feel like a fool, and she wasn't sure she liked feeling like a fool. She hadn't told anyone about her feelings for Arius, though she was pretty sure they'd all guessed. That made her feel like a fool, too.

She heard footsteps coming through the trees and her head snapped up quickly, trying to look as though she hadn't been lost in the sort of foolish romantic thoughts that she so detested in other people.

"Rothen?" she smiled a real smile when she saw that it was her childhood friend, but the smile fell from her face on closer inspection of him, "Rothen! Are you alright?"

Rothen looked at Yena with such pain in his eyes that she rose from the ground at once and went to him, wrapping her slender arms around him and squeezing him with all the fierceness of a sister protecting a hurt younger brother.

"Rothen, what is it? You have to tell me, you've been acting strangely for months. Rothen?"

Rothen drew back from her and sat down heavily on the grass. She noticed that he was crying, and sat down beside him with her arms around him again, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Tell me!" she pressed urgently.

Rothen wiped his eyes and pulled away from her once again to look her in the eyes, "Oh, Yen, I'm in such trouble"

"What sort of trouble?" she asked fearfully, "Because I'll help you, I promise"

"You can't help me with this"

"I'm sure I can"

"I'm in love, Yena"

She laughed, clearly relieved, "Rothen, you scared me! We can fix that!"

"No, Yena. I'm in love with a man"

Yena couldn't help it; she flinched. As soon as she had done so, she knew she'd hate herself for it for years after.

"I know. You think I'm disgusting"

"No, of course not! Mellie's father is a lad, Uncle Dannyl! You know that! We all love him just the same, none of us cares" she rested her hand back on his shoulder, and felt his tension ebb slightly.

"My father would care"

"It's who you _are_, Rothen. It won't stop him loving you" she hesitated, "Who is he? The man you love"

"Nyx. From the Warrior classes"

"He asked Hala out today" she told him tentatively.

"I know. Why do you think I'm in such a state?!"

"I'm sorry" she pressed a light kiss to his forehead, "Have you told anyone else?"

"Grandad Rothen. He thinks I should talk to Dannyl"

"You should! He's right. It might help you. They're bringing Rothen back tomorrow, you can talk to him then"

"You think I should?"

"Yes! Roth, I really think it would help. Please do it. For me"

"You don't hate me, do you, Yena?" he suddenly sounded much younger that his fourteen years. Yena hugged him again.

"Never"

Rothen rose from the ground, "You won't tell anyone?"

"I promise" she swore, joining him, "I won't say a word"

"Thanks, Yena" they hugged again, and Rothen left looking slightly brighter.

As soon as he had gone, a new set of footsteps emerged from the trees.

"Arius!" Yena gasped, not bothering to hide her horror, "How long have you been standing there?!"

"Long enough" Arius looked pale, "You don't have to break your promise, Yena, I heard everything"

"Oh God! Don't say anything, Arius, _please_, I promised him no-one would find out!" she grabbed his hands, eyes bright with urgency, "He's so scared, Arius"

"I'm not going to say anything. He's my brother! I just don't understand why he didn't tell me"

"It must be so difficult for him. I understand, I think. It must be so difficult to tell a man something like that. Much more difficult than telling a woman"

"He told Grandad"

"Yes, but that's different and you know it" Yena quickly let go of his hands, a rush of colour flooding to her cheeks. She was so stunned by Rothen's revelation and Arius' sudden appearance that she'd completely forgotten her tactic of keeping Arius at arm's length in order to make him keener.

"You know what's not different between me and Rothen?"

"Go on"

"We're both in love" Arius spoke very gently, as if afraid of what she would do.

"You're in love with a man too? My, my, what will your father s-"

"Yena!" he exploded, and Yena stopped smiling, frozen.

"Yes?" her voice was very small.

"God damn it, will you stop this! You're playing and teasing and it's driving me to distraction. I can't think, and you know perfectly well that it's you I'm in love with"

At those words, Yena was suddenly very sick of this game. And she smiled.

"Of course I know you're in love with me. And of course you know that I'm in love with you"

Arius' relief was plain to see, "You are? Thank goodness for that. I would have made a right idiot of myself"

"Yeah, you would" she looked up at him, head tilted to one side, "So. Are you going to kiss me this time?"

"Of course" Arius replied, grinning.

And he did.


	14. Relief

**A/N: Sorry about the gap between updates! Hope you enjoy the chapter, thanks for the reviews and please review again!**

"Thanks so much for doing this, Mum" the look of relief on Melody's face was plain as she shunted Akkarin, Korsten and baby Marcella towards their grandmother, "We really need a break"

"Of course, darling. And you need your rest -your father's coming to visit tomorrow, remember, he'll want to play with you and the children"

"As if I'm still a child myself. Yes, I know" Melody rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, "Thanks. Marcella's been sleeping through the past couple of weeks, not that I think it'll last, so you might get away with it, Korsten's still having nightmares-"

"Mu-um!" the six year old boy whined, glaring up at his mother with wounded eyes.

"It's only Nana, Korsten, dear, you would have told her anyway" Melody pointed out gently, stroking the golden hair that he'd inherited from Aurelia, "Now, do be good"

"I'll keep him in order" said Akkarin with all the bossiness and authority of an oldest child. Melody grinned.

"I know you will. Now, come here for kisses, the pair of you-"

"For God's sake, Mellie, it's one night! It's not like I haven't looked after them a million times before" Aurelia exclaimed, half laughing, half exasperated, "Come on, boys. Grandad Dorrien can't wait to play tag with you, it's the highlight of his week"

Melody laughed as she waved off her mother and her children, Marcella cooing into Aurelia's face. She shut the door with a loud sigh of relief, and turned to face Lorkin, all the worry and tension and stress of a young mother flowing out of her at the sight of his smiling face.

"Better?" he queried, and held up the bottle of Anuren dark that he'd swiped from the cellars of the High Lord's Residence especially for that evening, "Because if not, this will help"

"Much better" she confirmed, and reached out to grab the bottle of wine from him, "But this will help even more"

He held it out of her reach, "You can have it if you kiss me"

Melody raised her eyebrows, then grinned again, "Why don't we just forget about the wine?"

"You know me so well"

* * *

"What the hell is going on here?"

Yena jumped away from Arius like she'd been hit by heatstrike, and Arius quickly held up his hands as though in surrender. Osen glared at the pair of them from the doorway to the High Lord's Residence.

"You told me you were with Rothen, Yena"

"I was with Rothen...then I was with Arius" she replied sheepishly, looking up at her father with big brown eyes and hoping that they would ensure his forgiveness. They did not.

"So you lied?"

"Not exactly...well, yes. Daddy, I've been meaning to tell you – "

"What's going on?" Sonea appeared, joining her husband in the doorway, "Oh, hello, Arius. Do you want to come in?"

"No, he does not want to come in" Osen snapped, glaring at Arius, "Sonea, I think our daughter was about to tell us that she and Arius are a couple"

"Oh, how lovely! I always said it was only a matter of time" she beamed at Arius and Yena, then put a hand on Osen's arm, "Leave them be, dear. They're happy. Better than her going off with someone we don't know"

"He's older than she is!" Osen hissed, eyes wide with horror, "Please tell me you don't agree with this?"

Arius and Yena shared an uncomfortable glance. Sonea sighed and smiled at her husband.

"Only by a couple of years. You're older than me"

"That's different"

"Only because you still see her as your little girl" Sonea remarked, voice gentle, "She has to grow up sometime, Osen"

Osen turned back to the tense young couple and spoke through gritted teeth, "Come in, Arius. You may join us for dinner"

Yena's eyes flashed with surprised delight as she grabbed Arius' hand and drew him into the house behind her parents. He grinned back.

"Well done" they distinctly heard Sonea whisper to Osen, and they squeezed each other's hands.

* * *

Melody opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight coming through the window. The sound of voices had woken her, voices outside the door, and then several loud knocks. The knock came again as she woke and sat up in bed. She'd been draped across her husband, the both of them naked, and when she tried to stand up she found that the sheets were a tangled mess around her legs. Lorkin, amazingly, still had not stirred. Stumbling to her feet, Melody pulled a night robe loosely around her and went to the door.

"Mellie!" Dannyl stood on the threshold, beaming at his daughter, with Rothen by his side.

"Daddy!" Melody exclaimed, opening the door wider, "You're early! And Grandad! It's so good to have you back"

With a rush of colour to her cheeks, Melody realised that the two men were staring at her in something like horror and distaste. She pulled the robe tighter around her and reached up to tidy her hair, which she realised with mortification was a complete bird's nest from the activities of the night before.

"Where are the children?" asked Dannyl, trying to peer round her, "They usually run at me"

"They're with Mum. She looked after them last night"

"Ah" Rothen's eyes were suddenly twinkling, and Melody realised it was because Lorkin, still shirtless, had appeared behind her, hair ruffled and eyes heavy with sleep, "Good morning, Lorkin"

"Morning" Lorkin mumbled through a yawn, "Morning, Dannyl"

Dannyl was too busy gaping at the dishevelled couple to say anything. He whirled around quickly to face Rothen.

"I think we should go and see the children. Aurelia and Dorrien won't mind. Wouldn't it be nice to see them?"

"If you like" Rothen shrugged, and winked at them both over his shoulder. Her blush darkening, Melody winked back.

* * *

Dannyl stayed for three days before confessing to them that he didn't feel it was safe to stay away for much longer – apparently Tayend had been involved in several antics with a hammer and he was more than a little terrified about what he would come home to. It was when he was in Rothen's rooms gathering his few things that Rothen junior approached him, head hanging and looking shyly back at his encouraging grandfather.

"Hey, Roth" Dannyl greeted him cheerfully, "Come to say goodbye?"

"He needs to talk to you" said Rothen senior, voiced seeped in meaning that Dannyl didn't understand, "I'll leave you to it"

He departed the room. Rothen looked warily up at Dannyl.

"Grandad thinks I should talk to you. I don't want to bother you"

"No, it's...okay" Dannyl sat, confused, and gestured to Rothen to do likewise, "I just don't know why he would suggest me. I'm no good with problems. Your mother's excellent"

"I can't really talk to her about this"

"If it's a male issue, your father's pretty good at problem solving too" Dannyl offered up hopefully, sensing that this was a rather big and potentially embarrassing problem. Rothen shifted in his seat.

"It's a _very_ male problem. That's why I _can't_ go to him" he hesitated, and looked down at the floor, "I'm a lad"

Silence fell. Dannyl stared at Rothen, then sighed heavily, his face etched with sympathy.

"I see. You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm in love, too" Rothen summoned the courage to look at Dannyl, "He's not a lad"

"Ah. I know the feeling" Dannyl could feel the young man's pain and wished he could think of something to say, "I'm sorry this has happened to you. You have to keep it a secret, Rothen, you mustn't tell a soul. The amount of trouble you'd be in..."

"I know. I've only told Grandad and you" he paused, "And Yena"

"But that's all?"

"Yes, I swear"

"And Yena won't say anything?"

"Not Yena" his voice sounded thick, and his eyes were wet when he looked at Dannyl again, "There was a moment, when I told her, just a second, when she was...when she was disgusted with me. I saw it in her eyes. She flinched away from me"

"People do" Dannyl replied gently, "But the ones who really care about you accept you for what you are _and _keep all your liaisons a secret. Look at me! I've still got a family, even though I am what I am"

"But you had a child, with Mum. No-one will ever suspect you after that. What about when I get to your age and I'm still unmarried and I've got a man living in my home? What will people say about me?"

"It doesn't matter what people say, Rothen. As long as you never give them proof, you'll be able to live a normal life. We'll all accept you. We're all your family"

"You think Dad will accept me?"

"Of course I do. Once he comes around to the idea. And Aurelia – I mean, your Mum – she'll understand. Of course she will. You're her son and she loves you"

"I'm just worried about what people will think. What they'll _say_"

"None of that matters. Not a single bit of that matters unless you're happy, Rothen. And you can't be happy unless you tell the people you care about who you are. That's just the way happiness works"

"You'll support me if they get angry?"

"Of course I will. I'll support you all the way" he grinned wryly, "Looks like I'll have to leave Tayend alone with that hammer for another few days to help you out, eh?"

A smile of relief settled on Rothen's lips, "Thank you"

"Okay. But if I get back to the library and all I find is a pile of rubble, I blame you. Deal?"

"Deal"


	15. Discovered

**A/N: Hi! Sorry for the lengthy gaps between updates nowadays, life is very hectic right now, and unfortunately it's not looking like it's going to let up anytime soon! Enough of my grumbling. Thank you so much for reviewing and please review again! This is going to be a short chapter, but you will understand why.**

On the day that the body was discovered, everyone was having a pretty good time.

Aurelia and Dorrien were sharing a late brunch of peaches and cream. They were talking about their wedding. Dorrien paused in his eating, a soft smile on his lips, and reached across the table to take his wife's hand. A blush coloured Aurelia's cheeks, as it always had whenever Dorrien touched her, as it always would. They both laughed, the sunlight glowing on Aurelia's golden hair.

Melody and Lorkin were attempting to get Marcella to eat her lunch. Her stubborn, pouting refusal was rather more endearing than irritating, and they both wanted to giggle, forcing themselves instead to turn stern faces on their baby girl. Marcella shook her head, golden brown curls swinging, and the laughter spluttered out of them before they could stop it. Dannyl looked over at them from the other side of the room and smiled. He had Akkarin and Korsten sat either side of him, and the two of them were listening avidly to his recounting of the Ichani Invasion, even though they'd heard it many times before.

Eden was sitting outside with her husband to be, her new ring sparkling in the sunshine, tapping the notebook of wedding plans impatiently, as though to illustrate the importance of something. Larkin was nodding solemnly, but as soon as she looked back down at the page he allowed himself a yawn. The wedding was weeks away - what could there possibly be to worry about?

Arbella was doing her daughter's hair, trying to tidy the wild black curls that adorned Talluali's pretty head. She was well aware that Melody's girl was prettier than hers, and she was doing everything she could to try and rectify that. Talluali laughed and reached up to touch the pink ribbon in her hair, gazing at herself in the mirror with obvious admiration. Arbella smiled too. That was how _she_ felt whenever she looked in the mirror.

Liliana was walking with Dorian. He was apologising with heartfelt sentimentality for shocking her when he told her about Arbella and Talluali. Liliana nodded. She did not look happy, but when he hugged her, she did not resist. Unseen by her, a slight blush coloured his face. She would have smiled, had she seen it.

Arius and Yena had run off to hide somewhere in the woodland surrounding the Guild. Yena was pressed up against a tree, her back scratching the rough bark, while Arius kissed her. He pulled away, leant his forehead against hers, told her he loved her. In reply, Yena clasped his hand to her breast and pulled him closer for another kiss. Arius grinned against her lips.

Rothen was in his bedroom, waiting for Dannyl to arrive for the tea he'd scheduled with Aurelia and Dorrien. He felt relieved, at peace. Once Dannyl arrived, his secret would be out, and there would be no more lies. Everyone could accept him. He could be happy. He just had to wait for Dannyl.

It was Sonea who broke the tranquil happiness of this warm summer's day. She was the first to hear the news, and came running across to the Guild from the High Lord's Residence as though she had hellhounds chasing at her heels. Dorrien saw her first, and squinted out of the window in clear confusion.

"Lia? Is that Sonea?"

Aurelia let go of his hand with reluctance and rose from her seat, walking towards the window with her husband. She nodded, frowning.

"Yes. Good God, what's happened to her? She looks as though she's seen a ghost!"

"I don't know. Wait , is she – yes, look, she's waving to us"

It was true; Sonea's hands were flailing frantically in the air, she looked wild. Aurelia felt the first bubble of fear in her belly.

"What do you think has happened, Dorrien? To get her in such a state?"

The door to their rooms crashed open. Aurelia jumped, and instinctively reached for Dorrien's hand. It was already there, his fingertips groping the air for the feel of her hand. She clasped him tightly, and stared at Sonea.

"Sonea? What's wrong? You look dreadful!"

Sonea shut the door behind her. She was trembling so much that Aurelia feared she might collapse. She moved towards her friend, but Sonea shook her head. She would not receive assistance.

"They've found him" she panted, clutching at a stitch in her eyes, "They've found his body"

"Whose body?" Dorrien asked, confused, "Akkarin's? We know where that is!"

But Aurelia understood.

Oh yes, Aurelia understood all too well.

Her knees crumpled beneath her; Dorrien grabbed her elbow just before she hit the floor and hauled her up to face him, his eyes wide and urgent on hers. His fingers dug into her arm.

"No" he breathed, "No, Aurelia, it can't be"

"They've found my father" Aurelia's voice was shrill, hysterical, as she turned to look at Sonea, "They've found my father, haven't they?"

Sonea could not speak; she merely nodded.

And with a howl of terror and fear and complete and utter desperation, Aurelia fell into a dead faint.


	16. Deciding

**A/N: Sorry for the gap between updates, especially when I ended on such a cliffhanger! Thank you so much for the reviews and please review again.**

"Lia? Lia!" Dorrien knelt down beside his unconscious wife, cupping her face in his hands. He looked up at Sonea, "What the Hell are we going to do?"

"I don't know" Sonea replied, "We all helped, Dorrien, we're all in trouble here. When they find out that that man is Aurelia's father..."

"_If _they find out. Everyone thinks he died years ago"

"They will find out, Dorrien, you know they will. Oh God, and I'm the High Lord's _wife_! Osen is never going to get away from this if they find out I was involved – "

"You're thinking too far ahead. They're not going to find out"

"Dorrien, _they've found the body_. They're going to find out what we did"

"Not if we don't tell them"

"You really think we can keep hiding this?! The game's up. It's over" there was a fear in Sonea's eyes that Dorrien had never seen before.

"Dad?" Rothen peered around his bedroom door, disturbed by the commotion, his eyes widening when he saw Aurelia on the floor, "Mum! Is she okay?"

"She's had a shock, that's all" Dorrien said quickly, turning back to his wife, "She'll come round in a minute. Look, she's already opening her eyes"

"I heard everything you said" said Rothen, his voice very quiet and frightened, "What happened to Mum's father?"

Aurelia's newly opened eyes fixed on her husband's in terror. Dorrien took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Ignoring Rothen's question, she turned to Dorrien and Sonea.

"Why the Hell is there even a body to find?!" she asked, still shrill, "There shouldn't be any trace of a body!"

"It's all my fault!" Sonea cried despairingly, burying her face in her hands, "I drained him, Aurelia, after Dorrien had killed him. I used black magic on him!"

"Sonea! Why on earth – "

"I needed all the extra energy I could get! Your injuries were so bad, I knew you needed extensive Healing. I had to keep Rothen alive. You would have miscarried if I hadn't taken your father's strength"

"Miscarried? Me?" Rothen stared at the three of them, "You almost lost _me_?! What the Hell is going on?!"

"I told her to do it" Dorrien put in, seeing Sonea's distress and ignoring Rothen once again. Aurelia turned on him, eyes blazing.

"What?! You couldn't even dispose of a body properly? For God's sake, Dorrien, I can't trust you to do _anything_ – "

"That's unfair! I did it to protect you! The whole thing only happened because of you!"

"Because he tried to _rape_ me and kill our son! Because our _daughter_ was in the next room! You couldn't even protect us properly!"

"Aurelia!" Sonea cried, horrified, but Dorrien was already glowering at his wife, face twisted with anger.

"_It wasn't my fault_!"

"YOU KILLED HIM!" she roared, "YOU MURDERED HIM!"

"YOU WANTED ME TO!" he screamed back.

Silence fell, the couple red-faced and panting, glaring at each other furiously. Sonea looked glassy-eyed and stunned. Rothen stared between his parents with horror on his face.

"You killed someone?" he whispered, staring at his father, "You_ killed_ someone?!"

"I killed the man who abused your mother throughout her childhood, then tried to rape her one evening fifteen years ago. A man who, when I attacked him, sent a heatstrike at your mother's belly and almost killed the baby she was carrying, as well as her. Almost killed you" his voice was hard with anger, "Do you still hate me for it?"

"No" Rothen replied, his voice full of fear, "But what are you going to do?"

"We need to get everyone together" said Aurelia, still avoiding Dorrien's eye, "The whole family. We need to talk about this. Work out what we're going to do. Sonea and Rothen are both accomplices, and all the others know about it"

"You mean everyone knew except me?" Rothen cried, anger rising, "How could you keep something like that from me?!"

Aurelia was pacing; she didn't even hear him. Suddenly, she froze, turning back to look at Dorrien and Sonea.

"Shit. Dannyl doesn't know"

"You never told him?!" Sonea breathed, wide-eyed.

"I couldn't! I just couldn't do it"

"He'd understand, he knows what your father did to you"

"I know he'd understand, but...Sonea, I can't. I can't tell him"

"You're going to have to, Aurelia. Dannyl has to know"

"I have to know what?" Dannyl stood in the doorway, a pleasantly bemused smile on his face. Aurelia snatched a quick glance with Dorrien, anger evaporating. She reached for his hand.

"There's something I have to tell you. Something that we have to tell you"

* * *

"You're going to have to own up" said Melody at last, clinging to Marcella and clutching Lorkin's hand, "It's the only way. If you tell the truth before they find it out, they might be a bit more understanding"

"I agree" Eden said earnestly, eyes wide, "It's the only way, Dad"

Larkin, Dannyl, Yena and Osen were sitting around with shock plain on their faces. Having just been made privy to the whole sorry tale, they weren't exactly in a fit state to give advice. When Arius reached towards Yena for comfort, she shrugged him away. She couldn't believe that he hadn't told her.

"What do you advise, Osen?" Dorrien asked at last, looking towards the High Lord. Osen looked up from them, his face blank and expressionless.

"I'll call a meeting of the Higher Magicians for you. But I have to leave now. I can't be part of this. If they find out..." he looked over at Sonea, "How could you not tell me?"

"Osen..." she had no answer; she held a hand outstretched towards him, but he did not take it.

"I understand" he said bitterly, "Because I'm not Akkarin"

"_Osen_!" Sonea cried, but he had already departed the room. She hurried after him, glancing back apologetically as she did so. Liliana moved away from the family to check on Rothen. He had collapsed, the pain in his chest which had been inflicting him so terribly lately flaring up from the shock and fear, and was laying on Aurelia and Dorrien's bed. All earlier argument forgotten, Aurelia was clinging on to Dorrien's hand so tightly her nails were leaving marks in the skin.

"Grandad? Are you alright?" Liliana leaned over him anxiously, and Rothen forced a smile for her.

"Yes, of course, dear. I'll be fine, once this whole mess is sorted" with a grunt, he propped himself up on one elbow, "Mellie's right. You ought to own up. Osen can put in a good word for you"

"Will he, though?" Dorrien murmured, but he nodded at his father to let him know he understood. Dannyl heaved a deep sigh, staring down at the ground as though wishing he could sink down into it and not deal with any of it.

"I'm starting to wish I'd stayed with Tayend and that bloody hammer" he mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else, but Melody heard it. And Melody, the loving daughter that she was, let go of Lorkin and reached out to clasp her father's hand.

She knew they would all need all the support they could get.


	17. Corpse

**A/N: So sorry about the gap between updates! Thank you so much for the reviews and I'm glad you're enjoying the plot twist. Please review again!**

Aurelia and Dorrien left Dannyl and Liliana tending Rothen, who still could not get himself out of bed no matter how hard he tried. Osen had arranged an audience with the Higher Magicians for them that very evening, and Sonea was still with him, probably trying to explain herself and begging forgiveness.

"I can't do it" Aurelia whispered, freezing a few metres from the door. She was trembling, her face ashen, and even Dorrien's firm, warm hold on her hand could not steady her panicked breathing.

"Listen to me" Dorrien halted with her, turning her to face him, "Listen to me, Aurelia. We have to do this. We've got no choice. If we don't own up to it, they'll find out and we'll be punished more severely. If we lie and they find out that that corpse is your father they can lock us up. They can exile us, they could even stop us from seeing our family. Melody was right. It has to be done"

"I can't, Dorrien, I can't tell them all the things I told you, I can't talk about what my father tried to do that night – "

"Yes, you can! You spoke to them at the Hearing all about it, and you can do it again. You've got nothing to be ashamed about, none of what happened between the two of you was your fault"

"I'm so scared, Dorrien"

"I know, I know. I'll be with you the whole time. And they'll be more angry with me than you, Aurelia, I'm the one that killed him! And I swear to God I will protect you from this as much as I can, at all costs"

"No" she shook her head, and there was a sudden stubborn fire in her eyes. Dorrien loved that look – it meant that his wife was going to be brave, and was going to fight, "No. If they do anything to us, we stick together. We go down, we go down as a couple"

Dorrien kissed her lips lightly, "We've not been accused of anything yet, Lia. Don't forget that"

* * *

"Osen has told us everything" Kallen declared, pacing up and down the room, "Due to the connection between your families, we deemed it best that he not be present while you speak with us" he paused, fixing sharp eyes on them, "Osen has told us that the body we found was your father. Is that correct, Lady Aurelia?"

"We haven't seen the body" she said in a very small but defiant voice, "We would like to see it before we speak with you any further"

Dorrien was confused – this was not something they had discussed, as they knew from Sonea that it was the correct corpse – but undoubtedly proud at the same time. He squeezed her hand in approval.

Kallen, Vinara and Jerrik exchanged looks. Then Vinara nodded.

"Come with me" she ordered, rising soundlessly from her seat. Aurelia and Dorrien followed her, still holding hands, down a series of corridors until they reached a small room smelling strongly of herbs and medicine. Vinara covered her nose with her sleeve.

"Be warned" she cautioned, voice muffled, "The smell is extremely unpleasant"

Aurelia and Dorrien copied her action without letting go of each other and followed her into the room.

The body was covered by a white linen sheet, which Vinara drew back to reveal the head and shoulders of the dead man. Aurelia gasped, pressing her sleeve closer to her face. Dorrien gagged.

Aurelia's father looked up at the ceiling sightlessly, his neck turned at an odd angle from where Dorrien had snapped it all those years ago. His expression was one of shock, anger and pain, and the most disturbing thing of all was the cut from which Sonea had drained his magic. It was a deep scarlet slash, clearly infected and oozing something rather unpleasant-looking, curving like a smile on the barbarian's throat. Aurelia bit the inside of her mouth to stop herself from screaming, and pulled Dorrien sharply from the room. Once outside, she gulped in lungfuls of the cleaner air, almost bent double in an effort not to be sick. Dorrien, hiding his own disgust, rubbed soothing circles on her back. Vinara locked the room and eyed them both.

"Well?"

Aurelia, still gasping, straightened, "Yes" she choked out, "Yes, that man was my father"

There was a moment's pause before Vinara repeated, "Come with me"

* * *

This time, the three Higher Magicians were seated, waiting for Aurelia and Dorrien to bring forth some information. Aurelia could barely breathe, and Dorrien wasn't feeling much better.

"So, Aurelia. I have already been made aware of some of the history between you and your father. I think it best if you share this history with Lord Kallen and Lord Jerrik before we discuss the events of your father's death" Vinara said at last. Her voice was still cool; it made Aurelia feel like a chastised Novice all over again, not a fully qualified magician, wife and mother. Things had been very different the last time Vinara had questioned her.

"I..." Aurelia gulped loudly and closed her eyes so she did not have to look at their intrigued faces, "My father abused me when I was a child" she opened her eyes after this first bold statement, and was oddly gratified to see the shock and horror on their faces, "I was four or five when it started, and I was only saved by the fact that my father was missing, presumed dead. My father consistently degraded me with verbal abuse. He made me believe that nobody could ever love me, that I was worthless, that I was ugly. It got worse. The physical abuse started; he hit me, kicked me, pulled out chunks of my hair whenever I said or did anything he didn't like. And then, of course, there was the...the sexual abuse. The rape. Because that's what it was. My father raped me, and not just once, either – many, many times. These rapes were forceful, and extremely violent. My mother knew, but we had never been close and she didn't care. Then one day news came that my father, who had had a lot of debts, had committed suicide to avoid them. His death saved me from the rape and torture he inflicted on me, and set me free to go to the Guild. Once here, I felt like I belonged! I was happy, for the first time in my life. I met Lord Dannyl, who may have been completely wrong for me romantically but is now a beloved friend, as are Rothen and Sonea, my old mentors. I met Dorrien, and by God no man could have made me happier..." she trailed off, tears in her eyes, and Vinara exchanged a glance with the two men.

"And your father?"

"He...he had faked his own death. I didn't know until thirteen years ago, when he turned up at the Guild looking for me"

Vinara's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Aurelia's nails dug into Dorrien's hand.

"Was that the night your father died?"

Aurelia and Dorrien nodded in mute unison.

"Did the pair of you have something to do with his murder?"

Aurelia and Dorrien looked at each other, then nodded silently again. The three Higher Magicians looked stunned, horrified.

"Then the two of you have some explaining to do" said Vinara with a heavy sigh, and settled into her chair for what promised to be a long and shocking night.


	18. Questioning

**A/N: I'm so sorry about how long it's been, I've had terrible writer's block with this story so I apologise if this chapter's a bit of a shambles! Thank you so much for the reviews though, and please review again!**

"I think you had better start, Lady Aurelia" said Lord Kallen, still looking shocked and somewhat overwhelmed, "As he was your father"

Aurelia looked over at Dorrien, "Okay. I...Dorrien was at a meeting in the Night Room. My three eldest children were out at a Novice party, and I – I had just put Liliana and Arius – at that point my two youngest – to bed. I was eight months into my pregnancy. I had just sat down – I can't remember what I was planning to do, read, I expect, when there was a knock at the door. I thought it might be Dorrien back early, or maybe Eden – my daughter – because she doesn't like parties, you know..." her voice trailed off. Dorrien squeezed her cold fingertips in his hand and the Higher Magicians looked at her in a way that urged her to continue.

"It was my father" she said in hushed tones, "He...he greeted me as though it wasn't strange at all, him being there when I thought he was dead...told me I looked 'grown up'. He told me he had faked his death to escape his creditors, and asked me to let him in. I tried to refuse him, telling him that Dorrien would be back soon, but he wouldn't be stopped. He never could be stopped" her voice caught, but when she continued it was a little stronger, "He was drunk. He forced his way into the room, and snapped my wrist when he saw that I was attempting to call for help. He always could break me, so easily. He called me a slut, and slapped my face, ordering that I could not call for Dorrien. He told me that Dorrien would not be coming to help me, and at first I thought he might have hurt Dorrien, but he hadn't – he told me Dorrien wouldn't come because no-one loved me like my father did, not even Dorrien, because I was his whore. That's – that's what he said"

Dorrien was trembling with anger beside her. Aurelia had told him what had happened with her father before he arrived, but only once, and hearing it all over again made him feel even less remorse for his actions than he had done before.

"I found it very difficult not to close my eyes when communicating mentally, I still do, I find it easier to shut the world out, but I knew that if I closed my eyes my father would know I was calling for help. He had me pinned up against the wall and he was...he was...touching me. Painfully. Anywhere he could...reach. And I just knew, I _knew_ that it was going to happen all over again, that he would rape me again like he had when I was a helpless child, and my _daughter_ was in the next room, at just the age he liked, and I couldn't let him see her, so I called for Dorrien mentally..." she was growing more upset and agitated by the second, "And then Dorrien appeared and I was so relieved – he pulled my father off of me and they began to fight – and my father was angry – he aimed a heatstrike at my stomach, where my baby was"

Lady Vinara gasped; being a Healer, she of course knew the damage that this could have done to Aurelia's unborn child.

"I was, of course, crippled in agony, and bleeding, and my father had managed to divert Dorrien, who was distracted by the pain I was in, and he was moving towards me and Dorrien – Dorrien – " she looked at her husband for reassurance before she next spoke, "Dorrien broke his neck"

A heavy silence fell over the room. Kallen and Jerrik both looked pale as newly-fallen snow. Vinara's face was drawn and anxious.

"What happened next?"

"Liliana and Arius emerged from their bedroom. They were both very frightened, especially when they saw me on the floor with all the blood – I don't know what happened with them, I remember seeing them but I was in so much pain that I couldn't concentrate on anything but how much it hurt, and there were black spots in front of my eyes – "

"From lack of blood" Vinara put in knowledgably and Aurelia nodded tightly.

"Yes, I suppose. But the next thing I knew Dorrien was Healing me, and he told me that our baby was fine – a boy – and he picked me up and carried me to the bed and I said to him, 'Is my father dead?', and he replied that he was. And then So-"

She stopped, wide-eyed. She could not implicate Sonea and Rothen in their crime. She couldn't do it. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks. She looked at Dorrien.

"You had help, didn't you?" said Vinara shrewdly, "Someone drained the body with Black Magic. And someone must have helped someone – presumably you, Dorrien? – to bury the body. Aurelia was too weak"

Aurelia and Dorrien continued to look steadily at each other, trying to communicate with their eyes. Vinara glared at them.

"Lady Aurelia. Who helped you?"

"I- I can't tell you, I just can't"

"It will come out anyway" said Jerrik slowly, his first words that whole evening, "You must tell us, Lady Aurelia"

"Black Magician Sonea" she whispered, "As you knew it must have been, from the drawing of magic from the body"

"I suspected it" Vinara replied coolly, "She causes no end of trouble, Black Magician Sonea"

"She was trying to help!" Dorrien protested.

"Carry on, Lady Aurelia. Tell us what happened"

"Black Magician Sonea arrived – I discovered later that Dorrien had asked our daughter to fetch her – and screamed when she saw the body and my blood. She ran to me, seeing I was harmed. Lord -Lord Rothen was also there. He said we would have to bury the body. Sonea went over to it and drained the body - I don't remember this , I only discovered it recently, I assume I must have still been dazed and confused from the injury – and Dorrien and Rothen took the body away. I don't know where it was buried. I didn't want to know"

Another silence fell, even heavier than the last. Finally, Kallen turned to Dorrien.

"And your side of the story, Lord Dorrien? I assume the stories are similar?"

"Of course. It's just as Aurelia said – I was at a meeting in the Night Room when I heard her calling to me in my mind, telling me her father was there. I made some gabbled excuse – I think I said one of our children was seriously ill – and ran out. I reached the room within moments, and when I entered it found Aurelia's father holding her up against the wall with – " his voice was blazing with anger now, "With his hands up her skirt and I knew what he was doing and she looked so terrified, she was crying. I pulled him off of her. We fought, and he managed to escape me to aim a heatstrike at Aurelia. She was in so much pain, and I hate seeing her in pain, obviously, she's the other half of me, I can't bear it – "

"Yes, Lord Dorrien, we don't need to hear about how much you adore your wife. We assumed as much, due to the fact that you're married" Jerrik's voice was cool and heavy with sarcasm, "Please tell us what happened next"

"It's just as Aurelia said" Dorrien replied, sounding irked at the interruption, "I saw red. He had tortured her for years, and my children were in the next room. I did it – I did it without thinking, almost, just reached out and snapped his neck. And he...he died"

"Is what Aurelia said correct, about Black Magician Sonea arriving and yourself and your father burying the body?"

"Yes"

"What had you said to the children, when they emerged from their rooms?"

"I told them that their mother would be fine, and not to worry – just to go and find Sonea and Rothen and tell them to come to us. Then I told them to go and find their sister Melody and the twins and stay with them for the night in Melody's room, or with Melody's partner, Lorkin. They did as I asked"

"Do your children remember it?" Vinara asked, looking both worried and curious.

"I don't know" said Dorrien, looking to Aurelia. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"I think Liliana might. Arius...he never seems to show any signs of remembering. I don't think he does"

"That's a relief, at least" said Vinara. She sighed heavily and looked back at Kallen and Jerrik, "Of course, the two of you must know what has to be done"

Aurelia's nails dug into Dorrien's palm, "No"

"We'll have to hold a Hearing" said Kallen, "We shall arrange it to take place in two days' time, to ensure all magicians are present and in order to give us time to interview those otherwise involved before the Hearing itself. We will have to, of course, interview your son Arius"

"You can't!" Aurelia cried, half-rising from her seat, "He might be repressing the memories, it might have traumatised him, if you bring it up it could cause him severe damage – "

"It has to be done, Lady Aurelia. We must have his testimony"

"You will not" Aurelia growled, "He's my _son_!"

"He'll find out anyway, Lia" Dorrien said gently, "We have to let them question him"

She was glaring at the Higher Magicians, but at Dorrien's words she nodded once, grudgingly.

"As I was saying" Vinara said sharply, "We will organise a Hearing. You must only hope that the Guild take into account the sensitive nature of the case and decide not to exile or execute either of you"

"_Exile?!"_ Aurelia shrieked.

"EXECUTE?!" Dorrien returned in horror.

"You have murdered a man, Lord Dorrien" Kallen said coldly, "Lady Aurelia may be spared, but your actions are a different matter –"

"We go together no matter what" Aurelia snapped, "You don't separate us"

"That's the other thing" Jerrik said coolly, and Dorrien had a horrid feeling that the man was actually enjoying himself, "The two of you cannot be together. You will have too much time to debate the finer points of your plea of innocence. We will keep you separated within the Arena"

"NO!" Aurelia screamed it, and this time she did rise from her seat, "Don't you _dare_! And anyway, you can't keep us as your prisoners, my children – "

"Your children are old enough to be self-sufficient by now, Lady Aurelia" said Kallen, slightly apologetic.

"Look, Aurelia and I haven't been apart for one night since we've been married" said Dorrien, speaking quickly in his panic; he hadn't expected to be treated like a criminal for telling the truth – he had expected it to save them, "We can't start now"

"You'll be able to _see_ each other" said Vinara kindly, "Just not to speak"

"Please don't do this" Aurelia begged tearfully, "He's my husband, you can't – "

"We can" Jerrik replied firmly, "Vinara, will you escort the two of them to the Arena? I shall alert the Guild"


End file.
